Mr. O's Deli: A One Year Old Legacy

Lunchtime at Mr. O's Deli was packed, even in the middle of Wednesday's snow storm. Kelly O'Marra, owner of the deli, greeted all of his customers with a smile and a joke while his daughter, Rachel took orders and ran the cash register.

 Preparing to celebrate their one year anniversary on March 31, O'Marra attributes the instant success of to the relationship they have with their customers. “We wish them well. We talk to everyone who comes in. They come here for fresh, fast food.” Pausing to reconsider, O'Marra said, “Well, it isn't always that fast. Fresh food can take a little longer.”

 The entire staff consists of the immediate O'Marra family, who have lived in Bethel for 25 years. Pointing to the menu, O'Marra shows the sandwiches he has named after his children's favorites. “There's Junior's egg sandwich, which is eggs scrambled with the home fries right in it, and Rachel's pastrami with swiss cheese and sauerkraut.”

 O'Marra said his two children, Rachel, 31 and Kelly Jr, 29, have been part of the plan from the beginning. Pointing to his son, who he calls Junior, he explained, “I asked him to come into it with me. I couldn't have done it without him.” Thinking a moment, he went on, “There were many people behind this. It was a piece of cake.”

 The family closeness is immediately apparent. Rachel, who has two school aged children, only came in to help out with the Opening.  She never left. “She had to stay. She couldn't leave,” Junior laughed.

 Rachel smiled broadly, which she does a lot, and said, “My brother is my best friend.” The senior O'Marra smiled proudly.

 O'Marra comes from a family of 11 children, and the photos that line the wall show him at various family gatherings. One photo featured a giant pig prepared for the spit, evidence of O'Marra's passion for cooking. “I used to cook for 60-70 people,” he said. “I used to cook for the Taste of Danbury. My brother Keith owns Two Steps in Danbury.”

 Mary Doran has known O'Marra for 20 years, and has been dating him for 10. She said, “Those O'Marras are so close. They are all in the business, so they talked about it a long time. They are all planners.”

Before the deli, O'Marra had worked with Sears Automotive and had helped out in various other jobs, including working in restaurants; but he wanted something of his own.  O'Marras dreams of owning a restaurant changed to a deli when the space became available. 

“This deli is something he always wanted to do,” Doran said. “Cooking has been his hobby forever. When he was thinking of opening a restaurant, I told him, 'If it makes you happy and it makes money, go for it.”

 The only real challenge the deli faced was in preparing the 1,250 square foot space to open. O'Marra said there had been delis there in the past, but the last one had closed a few years before.

 “The place was a disaster! Him and his son cleaned the place together,” Doran said.

 Junior, who had previously worked as a warehouse manager, agreed, “It took six weeks of blood, sweat and scrubbing to get the place cleaned up.” Photos show that the O'Marras took the fryer from hell and back. While they are still using it, it is hard to imagine it is the same piece of equipment.

 Almost a year later, the deli is a success, and the family couldn't be happier. “I love it,” Junior said. Joking, he added, “We have a good time. I am working with these two, so it's not too bad.”

 O'Marra said, “I am happy I did this for the kids. I wanted to give them something, and now they have this. This should become our family tradition.”

 Rachel beamed, “It's our legacy.”