The O-town Scene

March 24, 2011

The O-town Scene - Oneonta, NY

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Casual Chit Chat Each week, we have a casual conversation with a member of the community. This week, Deli Owner Don Scanlon of Hometown Deli and Cassandra Miller chit chat, casually. If a millionaire ordered a sub and was so thrilled with it he gave you a $100,00 tip, what would you do with the money? I would probably donate half to local charities, give some of it to my kids and then probably buy some new equipment for the store with the remainder. What’s the best part about owning a deli? The customers. We get to know pretty much everyone who comes it _ we know what they like, we know their names. It’s like a mini-family. I also like having my wife and kids here working with me. You work with your wife and daugh- ters _ what’s it like with all of those women? I have twin daughters who are 21 and a 23-year-old. It’s never-ending drama. When’s the busiest time of year at the deli? OH-Fest (which is April 30 this year). It’s crazy busy. We do a lot of subs and breakfast sandwiches. We sell a lot of beer. It’s busy. You have one of the best selections of beers from microbreweries. How do you decide what to carry? Do you have a favorite? We have our staples, but if something new is coming out, we try to be the first guy on the block with it. There are beers our customers ask for that we get. You get to know the clientele well and you or- der what they like. My favorite is Lowen- brau. (Employee Cody Gibson interjects the correct spelling, and that the beer is from Germany and brewed in Munich). You’re an expert meat-cutter. How did you get started? (Scanlon answered while cutting meat for a sub) I was a professional meat-cut- ter for 12 years when I first started out. (Meat cutters are different from butch- ers because they do not actually kill the animals, they just break down the meat.) They have schools now. I was trained by someone who’d been doing it for 30 years. We had to physically break down all of the the meat. Now everything’s pretty much boxed for you. Speaking of meat-cutting, who are three of your favorite musical artists? Foreigner, ZZ Top and Def Leppard. What did you want to be when you were in high school? An artist, a cartoonist. I still draw on occasion. I can do caricatures of people. When I was working for Bettiol (an area company that owns convenience stores), I would draw birthday cards for people and draw caricatures of them. My other hobbies are hunting, fishing, tying flies and reading magazines, especially hunt- ing magazines. What’s the best part about living in Oneonta? I just like the community. The crime rates are low ... I’ve been here for 28 years. It’s a nice area, and the people are nice. Warner Bros. March 24, 2011 O-Town Scene 7 Benjamin Patton Hometown Deli and Grocery owner Don Scanlon stands by his store’s selection of beers Wednesday.

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