If you grew up in Parkersburg I am sure you would remember “Angelos’s Brothers Confectionary” at the corner of 7th and Lynn Streets, which was established by George and Pete Angelos around 1918 and served our area for almost 50 years. Then if you were here later, say around 1977, you may remember a little grocery store at the corner of Murdoch Ave. and 32nd Streets called Fielders Market (3113 Murdoch Ave.) which was a little store with an attached house.

At the time, we had three children and as you know by now, I love to cook and bake and had the itch to open a small little home-cooked restaurant to fulfill my love of cooking and baking.

Many people love to read all kinds of books, but I personally love to read cookbooks of which I now have a very large selection.

We would constantly keep a lookout for a nice little building that we could possible use as a place to set up a small restaurant. One day while driving to the mall, we saw a sign “FOR SALE” in the window of the Fielders Market. It was the first day the property was listed, so we turned around and went directly to the Realtors Office that had the listing and the rest is history. We bought the property “sight unseen” without stepping foot inside the establishment and even at the asking price.

Then our work really began, for we remodeled the complete inside and outside, turning it into a small sit-down food and deli establishment. This took a building contractor and us personally working for several months to complete the task.

At that time, there was no Greek restaurant in our area that served homemade Greek foods and pastries. We were lucky and managed to introduce our community to Greek foods, along with homemade American dishes. We served all the Greek dishes including baklava and introduced gyros, plus the menu consisted of lasagna, meat loaf, baked steak, cabbage rolls, liver and onions, subs and salads, and homemade breads and pies.

What was suppose to be a little hobby turned into a major job with me having to work daily from early morning to late at night. I learned fast there is a major difference cooking at home for your family and cooking for a large number of people, but was young and I learned fast, plus had confidence in myself. (Where there is a will there is a way as the saying goes.)

Owning and running a business is not as easy as many people think. One must be ready for many challenges, problems and tasks that arise from time to time. I gained experience fast and was not afraid of hard work and long hours. Our little Olympic Deli was a success for 18 years.

During this time, I met many very nice people, and we have remained friends today with a great many of them, and have fond memories.

My husband retired from his teaching position after 34 years and while he had time and I was tied down with the business, we decided that I should retire also….only to find ourselves back in the business world at the Grand Central Mall food court a year later.

The Angelos are now involved in Auntie Anne’s Pretzels and Great Steak Grill, plus the two Chick-fil-A’s.

We are all very fortunate and thankful to the entire Mid-Ohio Valley for their support all these years.

Below I will share some recipes with you from the Olympic Deli, plus a recipe for the orange preserves I mentioned in my article last week.

Have a great week!

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Green Beans with Mushrooms

1 pound green beans

1 onion, chopped

1/3 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

dash of pepper

1/2 pound mushrooms

/2 cup water

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1 tablespoon mint leaves, chopped

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Remove ends and strings of beans; cut in 2-inch pieces, or leave whole and cut lengthwise through beans. Satue chopped onion in olive oil until soft, add sliced mushrooms, and stir over moderate heat 5 minutes. Add prepared beans, parsley, seasonings and water. Cook slowly for 20 minutes, or until tender. Add 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice before removing from heat. Makes 4-5 servings.

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Artichokes and Fava Beans

4 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup sliced onions

chopped dill and parsley

1 teaspoon salt

pepper

1/2 cup water

1 can large lima beans

1 can cooked artichokes

juice of 1 lemon

Cook slice onions and seasonings in olive oil until soft. Add water and bring to a boil. Drain beans, add to onions and cook over low heat for 15 minutes. Add artichokes and lemon juice and cook 5 minutes longer to blend flavors. Makes 5 servings.

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Stuffed Peppers with Shrimp

1 pound shrimp, cleaned

2 onions, chopped fine

2 sprigs celery, chopped fine

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1/4 cup chopped mint

2 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 8-ounce can tomato sauce

1 cup long-grain rice

8-10 green peppers

Saute celery and onions slowly in vegetable oil until soft. Add shrimp and stir until slightly browned. Add seasonings, rice, 1/2 cup tomato sauce and 1/2 cup water. Cover and cook over low flame until liquid is almost absorbed. Cut stem-end of pepper. Scoop out seeds and rinse in cold water. Fill with shrimp stuffing and replace top slice. Place in baking pan with 1 cup water and remaining tomato sauce. Bake in 350 oven for 1 hour, basting frequently. More water may be added for basting if necessary.

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Stuffed Peppers with Rice

6 green peppers, medium-size

2 large onions, chopped fine

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/4 cup chopped dill

1/2 cup chopped parsley

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups rice, long-grain

1/2 cup raisins

Saute onions, celery and seasonings in vegetable oil until soft and transparent. Add rice, which has been washed and rinsed well. Stir lightly until slightly brown; add 1/2 cup water. Cover, lower heat and cook until liquid is absorbed. Rice will be partially cooked. Cut a slice from stem end of pepper and carefully remove seeds. Rinse in cold water. Fill with rice mixture and replace top slice. Place in baking pan with 1 cup water, 1 tablespoon olive oil and 3 tablespoons tomato sauce. Bake in oven at 350 for about 1 hour, basting occasionally. Variation: For tomato flavor in stuffing, add 2 cups tomatoes, or 3 tablespoons tomato past in 1/2 cup water and simmer with onions before adding rice.

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Grapefruit Preserve

1 1/2 pounds grapefruit skins

3 1/2 pounds sugar

4 cups water

juice of 1 lemon

3 or 4 drops bergamot oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

Scrape off the yellow coloring of the grapefruit. Slice skin into long strips about 1 1/2 inches wide. Roll each piece tightly. Pass threaded needle through each roll until thread is filled (15-20 rolls to a length of thread.) Tie ends tightly together. Place in deep saucepan; cover with water. Boil 20 minutes. Strain, fill with fresh water, and boil 20 minutes longer. Repeat this process twice more until fruit is soft, and bitter taste of fruit disappears. Soak in cold water to cool. Drain in colander. Place on clean towels to dry; let stand overnight to dry thoroughly. Cook rolls uncovered with sugar, water and lemon juice over low heat until a drop of syrup into glass of water forms a soft ball. While still hot, add 3 drops of bergamot oil. Stir until blended.

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Orange Preserve

6 large seedless oranges, thick-skinned

2 1/2 pounds sugar

2 cups water

Select seedless oranges with thick skins and grate rind. Place whole oranges in deep saucepan and cover with water. Boil until soft. Remove from water and drain well. Cool. Slice each orange carefully into 5 wedges. With sharmp knife or scissors, remove all thick fibers. Cook sugar and water 5 minutes. Remove from fire and cool. Add orange wedges to cool syrup and continue cooking over low heat until drop of syrup into cold water forms a soft ball.