Published: August 29, 2007 05:52 pm            

Good food can nourish a town

Lamar deli’s profits help fund autism programs

LAMAR, Mo. — You have a choice at Ollie’s.

Either live or get the recipe for the classic Speedy Burger. It’s a tough choice. One of those Jack Benny “Your money or your life?” questions.

So far, most of the folks who have stopped in Ollie’s Deli and Ice Cream Shop, located on the west side of the Lamar square, have opted to live and enjoy the sandwich rather than get the recipe and be killed.

Of course, it is possible that Cheryl Fanning and Marcia Bary, co-owners of Ollie’s, are kidding about the choice, but so far nobody has tested that theory. Mainly what folks do is get on the outside of the sandwich and not worry about the recipe.

It’s a good plan.

The Speedy Burger, years ago, was the signature sandwich at the Electric Bakery, a Lamar landmark that closed many years ago. Fanning and Bary, as most folks of a certain age, have fond memories of the sandwich dating back to their high-school days.

It’s sort of a sloppy joe-type sandwich, but then again, it’s not. It’s good, is what it is, but beyond that it’s sort of hard to describe. But certain Lamar folks of a certain age swear by it, and Bary said they managed to get the original Speedy Burger recipe.

“You can tell if someone is a true Lamartian if they put mustard on their Speedy Burger,” Bary said.

It’s OK, by the way, if you choose not to put mustard on your Speedy Burger. The folks at Ollie’s don’t judge.

“We might make fun of you, but that’s about it,” Fanning said.

Ollie’s opened last May and is quickly becoming a local community hangout. First of all, the food is fantastic but second of all the company is even better.

“We’re inclusive,” Fanning said. “We understand that it’s a community business. It’s a family.”

See, Fanning and Bary are listed as co-owners of Ollie’s but really the place is owned by the whole town of Lamar. All proceeds from the restaurant — excluding salaries for staff and normal expenses, of course — help fund the Barton County Learning Center for Exceptional Children, the TLC Early Childhood Center, the Jabez Village and the Dogwood Hills Farm Therapeutic Riding Program. All four programs work with people who have autism and are extensions of the original Learning Center that Bary — with the help of hundreds of Lamar residents — opened in 2005. It’s a great story. Folks see a problem in their community, folks solve a problem in their community.

But the thing is, as nice as it is that Ollie’s has become a fund-raising arm for a great program, the food is better. From its lengthy list of signature sandwiches — almost every sandwich comes with a story — to Fanning’s coleslaw made with Ott’s poppy seed dressing, to Beth Fanning’s strawberry salad and the myriad array of frozen custards, it’s impossible to not find something to like.

It’s pretty much a perfect deal. Good food for a good cause, served by good people.

Fanning provided two recipes from Ollie’s menu — strawberry salad and their hot pastrami sandwich.



Beth’s strawberry salad

Lettuce

Strawberries

Feta cheese

Red onion, sliced

Pecans

On a bed of lettuce, place sliced strawberries and red onion. Then top with the feta cheese and pecans. Serve with Ott’s poppy seed dressing.



George’s hot pastrami on rye

Generous slice of fresh pastrami

Slice of Swiss cheese

Spicy mustard

Mayonnaise

Marble rye bread

The secret to this sandwich is that the folks at Ollie’s take the pre-cooked pepper pastrami and steam it before serving. Once the meat is steamed, it is served with Swiss cheese on marble rye — with spicy mustard applied to one piece of bread and mayonnaise on the other piece.



Want to go?

Ollie’s, located on the Lamar square, is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

        

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