A new deli offering salads and sandwiches opened Wednesday after a year of construction in the back of Busy Day Market on Stimson Avenue.
Libby's Kitchen & Deli will sell their specialty foods for between $2 and $8 every day as a part of the market at 30 W. Stimson Ave.
Market and deli owner Libby Markham said she began making plans August 2009 to open a commercial kitchen, where the deli is now located.
I've always wanted to have a commercial kitchen
said Markham, who has owned the market for two years.
The deli also will serve as a make-your-own meal station two nights a month for Gourmet Your Way, a company that offers Make It, Take It, Bake It sessions for customers, said Jonathan Leal, Gourmet Your Way owner.
Each session makes a meal for six people ranging in price from $24 to $32, Leal said.
Gourmet Your Way is a local company that has another location at ACEnet commercial kitchen at 94 Columbus Road, he said.
This new kitchen (30 W. Stimson St.) is very close to everything and is easy to get to Leal said.
Leal said he chose the Market to host his Gourmet Your Way sessions because of his friendship with Markham. He added that he and Markham have a similar customer base so the partnership made sense.
Although she has a loyal customer base at the market, Markham said most of her customers are Athens residents and that she hopes the addition of the deli and Gourmet Your Way will bring in new customers, including students.
The partnership is already paying off as regular Gourmet Your Way customer Leisa Ostermann and her son, Ian, visited the market for the kitchen's opening Wednesday.
I have never shopped in the market but I am excited to try it and Libby's Kitchen
said Ostermann, who lives at 10 Cardiff Lane.
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Marika Lee
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Wendy Jakmas (left), Libby Markham (center), and Jonathan Leal (right), cut the ribbon for the grand opening of Busy Day Market
