FINDLAY, Ohio– For three decades, Main Street Deli has been a cornerstone of downtown Findlay.
Owner and chef Elaine Bruggeman say the down-home cooking and eclectic atmosphere have drawn in customers for generations.
- Findlay's Main Street Deli has been a staple in the community for the past 30 years.
- Customers can experience not only delicious foods and desserts but get a history lesson as well
- The deli is known for its soups, breads and pastries
“I want people to feel like they’re a home when they come in. I want to know their names, I want to know their kids, so it’s a family atmosphere,” says Bruggeman.
Bruggeman is a self-described soup fanatic. So she makes all the soups, spicy tomato, and shrimp jambalaya are among the customer favorites, along with black bean soup, among others.
“The key to perfecting that is good ingredients, first of all, proper sausage is the first thing, and cooking your beans properly, the pressure cooker makes them creamy. One of our most popular sandwiches, that one is called the secretary special, that’s our homemade cracked wheat bread, tomatoes grown here less than a mile away. Cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting and her cinnamon streusel. Maple walnut roll with cream cheese glaze. These are my new absolutely favorite, favorite, these are Wendy’s blueberry peach hand pies, these will change your life,” says Bruggeman.
Bruggeman says her secret weapon is the three grandmothers that bake all of her sweets and bread.
And customers will not only get to see the tabletops, chairs and ceiling tiles decorated by local businesses; they’ll also get a history lesson about Findlay.
“People of Findlay, places of Findlay, and people bring me things all of the time. Wonderful things, family photos, photos of the building of Marathon, and I just make sure they’re all represented,” says Bruggeman.
And Bruggeman says the best part of owning your own business besides the free food, is the camaraderie with members of the community.
“It’s the people on both sides of the counter. I’ve got such a wonderful staff, and they’ve been with me for years,” says Bruggeman.
Main Street Deli is located at 513 South Main Street in Findlay.