According to Michelle Lightfoot, chef and owner of
deli seven 20, ketchup and a gallon of milk don’t make tomato soup.
Lightfoot, a Cincinnati native, graduate of the Midwest Culinary Institute at Cincinnati State, ran the successful downtown deli, Poppies. For the past six years, she has been serving the downtown area from her deli on Pete Rose Way. But she may not have become a business owner if she didn’t see poorly made food being served at a restaurant she worked in.
“I worked somewhere where the tomato soup was made every day with a can of ketchup and a gallon of milk,” Lightfoot says. “I couldn’t take it anymore. I wanted to work somewhere that served good, fresh food.”
Lightfoot did just that. She estimates that she serves more than 1,000 walk-in and catering customers each week. Soups, sandwiches and salads are all made in-house to ensure quality. Lightfoot also allows customers and employees to help dictate the menu.
“If someone wants us to make a crazy sandwich and we end up liking it, it could end up on the menu,” Lightfoot says.
Lightfoot changes her menu often, but one thing stays the same; you won’t just get traditional deli sandwiches at seven 20. Instead of a ham and cheese sandwich, you can order the ‘ring dang doo,’ roast pork loin, smoked Gouda, roasted red peppers and sweet chili mayo on focaccia.
Besides allowing input from customers and employees, Lightfoot also lets her employees use their other talents, like website construction. Lightfoot never focused much on the website for seven 20, but knows it can make a difference. After one of her employees expressed an interest in making a new website, Lightfoot let her begin the process. The website will be updated soon.
“We want to make this a place we want to come to every day,” Lightfoot says. “If you don’t like what you’re doing, it’s not worth doing.”
By Evan Wallis
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