As small as the town of Powell is, many residents have seen a plethora of businesses come and go. If you or your family have been here for awhile, you probably have been told that one restaurant used to hold a different business in it some years ago.

What was once a business called Rocky Mountain Soup and Sandwich Company is now a sandwich shop bearing a different name. Stuff’t Deli opened their shop in the building standing on North Bernard Street on July 29.

“It’s a family-owned business,” Stuff’t Deli owner Mr. Mark Hampton said, “[but] everyone is welcomed to apply [for a job].”

Mr. Hampton is helped by his daughters, freshman Jaedyn and junior Sarah Hampton and his wife, Michele Hampton. Jaedyn and Sarah are home-schooled through the program Classical Conversations, both participating in sports and electives at Powell High School.

“It’s a lot of fun, especially working with the people that I can be myself around,” Jaedyn said. “It’s very nice to not have to worry about what’s going on and who you’re with.”

A lot of their inspiration for the shop comes from years of being in the food business.

“My family has been in the restaurant business for 35 years in California so from the time I could cook at about five years old, I was cooking at my grandmother’s restaurant.” Mr. Hampton said. “I never got into the restaurant business; I went to college in Reno, got into engineering, did that for 21 years, and then just recently in April I retired and I figured, ‘You know what? We talked about it for years’ and then … finally this place was available and [we] did it.”

Their menu contains lunch items such as soups, sandwiches, pasta and ice cream sundaes for dessert. They also provide special meals on Fridays and Saturdays.

“I came up with the menu living here in Powell from California – there just isn’t a lot of choices so I kinda went through and looked at the different places, different sandwiches and what people offered, and we wanted to offer what nobody else was offering here,” Mr. Hampton said.

Added Jaedyn: “[My favorite is] the pastrami and spicy mustard because I really like pastrami and it’s not too spicy and it’s not mild either – the seasoning is really good.”

Stuff’t Deli sees a bright future ahead of them with the promise of an expansion of their menu, and a food truck. This should happen in the next six months to a year.

“We’ll be adding more soups and chili and stuff like that. On Fridays and Saturdays, we’ll do stuff in the smoker – last week we did tri-tip, this week we’re doing prime rib [and] then we’ll do brisket; just a lot of different things you don’t get here,” Mr. Hampton said.

For first-timers, Jaedyn has some suggestions for their lunch.

“If they don’t have a big appetite, probably the mac ‘n cheese off of the kid’s menu, but for someone who can like eat, probably the steak and pepper,” Jaedyn said.

Stuff’t Deli is open 11 a.m.- 8 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 11a.m.-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday. Carry-out, delivery and pre-ordering can be done by calling 754-2625.