Michael HastingsStaff reporter
A Long Island couple is bringing its idea of a Northern deli to Kernersville.
Damn Yankees Deli & Catering had its grand opening June 11 at 234 N. Main St. in the former Deli on Main location.
The owners, Erica and Steven Maier, moved to the area just a few years around the beginning of the pandemic.
Steven Maier said he used to “flip businesses” in New York, as well as work as a realtor. Erica had worked for a cable company. They were prompted to move when the housing market stalled in Long Island, and his brother had just moved to Greensboro. “We had been wanting to get out of Long Island for a while. We were looking for something family-friendly with good schools for the kids.”
Maier’s plan was to start a realty business down here, but not long after moving he was told he had diverticulitis (a kind of inflammation in the large intestine) that led to five operations that kept him out of work for about 18 months.
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When he recovered last year, he worked for Verizon for a few months in sales but missed being his own boss. “I went home and looked at my wife and said, ‘We need a business.’”
He and Erica started to think what they could do, and even though they had never run a restaurant, they soon began to realize that a deli might work. “I found my pizza out here. I had found my bagels out here. But I had not found my deli here.”
Steven finally just walked into Deli on Main one day and asked if the owners would be interested in selling. To his surprise, Jo and Robert Ancell said they were ready to retire.
While waiting for the sale to go through, the Maiers rented space at the Short Street Kitchen this spring to hone their recipes, do catering and hold a few pop-ups.
Damn Yankees offers takeout and dine-in, as well as catering. The restaurant has about 50 seats. You’ll see lots of New York Yankees baseball memorabilia around the restaurant – including on a tattoo on Steven Maier’s arm.
The Maiers said that their heroes are inspired by the heroes they enjoyed at their favorite delis in Long Island.
There are 26 heroes on the menu. “And they are customizable, too,” Erica Maier said.
Customers can order a half hero for $9.99 or a full hero for $16.99 – the latter a full foot long. “I know they aren’t cheap,” Steven Maier said, “but they are big.”
Damn Yankees uses all Boar’s Head meats for their sandwiches.
The heroes also can be ordered as wraps – regular or gluten-free, and any hero can be turned into a salad.
The K-Ville Club has ham, turkey, roast beef, cheese and bacon. The Italian comes with diced pickled hot cherry peppers along with salami, capicola, Provolone, lettuce, tomato, onions, oregano and oil and vinegar.
The Melted Pig features porchetta (roasted pork) with house-made gravy and melted mozzarella on a toasted garlic-bread hero roll. The Long Islander has grilled chicken or chicken cutlet with roasted red bell peppers, mozzarella and a splash of balsamic vinegar.
Other heroes include chicken salad, tuna salad, chicken cutlet or meatball Parm, Reuben and Philly Cheesesteak.
There’s NY-style knish, Long Island iced tea (alcohol-free) and Dr. Brown’s soda. There also is potato salad, macaroni salad and coleslaw by the pound. Cold cuts also are available by the pound.
The restaurant also offers cannoli, rainbow cookies and DJ’s Cheesecakes.
Damn Yankees’ catering menu has a lot more items, mainly Italian-American favorites such as lasagna, fettuccine Alfredo, sausage and peppers, mozzarella sticks and chicken Marsala. It’s Long Island Italian, so lots of pasta, lots of cheese, lots of tomato sauce,” Steven said.
“In other words, it’s Americanized,” Erica said.
The Maiers had a soft opening the second week of June, including during June’s 8 Classic Car Cruise-In in downtown Kernersville, and have been pretty much busy ever since.
The Maiers said that the town has been very welcoming.
“We’re really happy to be here,” Stevens said.
Though he may be a Yankee, he feels right at home.
“This just reminds me of my hometown in Patchogue, Long Island.”
mhastings@wsjournal.com
336-727-7394
@mhastingswsj
Damn Yankees Deli & Catering
Address:234 N. Main St., Kernersville, NC 27284
Phone:336-992-1300
Hours:10:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday
Facebook:Damn-Yankees Deli and Catering
Instagram:@damnyankeesdeli
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