About Gill’s
On July 20,1964 a pair of spirited entrepreneurs opened a deli! Ned and Veda Gilligan set the bar high…
Celebrating over 50 years!
On July 20, 1964 a pair of spirited entrepreneurs opened a deli! Ned and Veda Gilligan set the bar high for deli’s when they opened Gill’s Delicatessen. Ned left his job with Vermont Marble Company to begin their new journey together. In the beginning they tested the market with customer requests and developed a menu they were proud of. They ran the business together for 10 years until Ned passed away. Veda then, knowing no other way continued on without Ned. She creatively expanded into catering platters and focused on what they had built together and raising their 3 girls, Paula, Kathy and Karen. Kathy remembers helping at 13 years old and was inspired by the tradition of their family recipes that she had grown up eating. Family recipes were staples; potato salad, zippy Italian salad and some of Veda’s own favorites, egg & olive sandwich and ham & celery sandwich. “She loved cucumber and onion sandwich too but that one didn’t get put on the menu” Kathy told us laughing.
Grinders are the heart and soul at Gill’s.
For 22 years Gill’s Grinders have been on Rod’s Rolls and Bread. While most of us are still snoozing Rod and his team are making dough, firing up the ovens and baking fresh daily the grinder rolls along with white, wheat, rye and italian bread in the bakery!
The line forms early at the deli counter and many days wraps around the corner past the beverage cooler. Gill’s Girls are there early cutting slicing and dicing vegetables, meat and cheese and loading up the bins so they’re ready to start building grinders. Many regulars have their favorite so know exactly what they want so the line moves along quickly.
Carrying on a time-honored tradition Veda learned from her Grandmother (Noni) and Veda taught Kathy, is the secret seasoned oil on your grinder. No one talks about what’s in it, they all know it’s a secret!
At Gill’s Delicatessen, we’re all about great food and treating our customers right!
Gill’s Grinders are still the Same and still the Best! The only thing that has changed are Gill’s Girls. YOU probably know a Gill’s girl. This coveted title is given to the girls that Veda and Kathy have both hired over the years to work at Gill’s. For many a first job or a summer job while in high school, they worked after school and Saturdays and whenever they could and became part of Gill’s family. Today with busy lives, families and careers some come back and work a shift at Gill’s when they need the help. Recently Sherry, Valerie and Rod and Kathy’s daughter Nicole came and worked the 5oth Anniversary Celebration! “Like riding a bicycle, they needed no instruction, they knew where everything was” Kathy shared with a smile.
Sadly, Veda passed away in 2006 but her legacy lives on with many people who shared their Gill’s sentiments! When Kathy and I talked about revamping the website we decided it would be fun to add some testimonials. We printed up a brief form with a few questions to generate some interest and placed it near the register. Two weeks later Kathy handed me her testimonials. “One guy asked if he could take the form home to fill it out” Kathy shared. Over 40 people were eager to share why they come to Gill’s, how long they have been coming to Gill’s, what their favorite grinder is or their Gill’s story!
With our rapidly changing world Gill’s maintains and continues to grow their fan base by not compromising their quality and high standards. Their grinders are still the same and still the best!
People remember how you make them feel and the feeling is mutual as the line forms for grinders at Gill’s!