Tesi Johnson, Gleaner Writer
LEFT: Wonder what has the attention of Ambassador Douglas Saunders (left) and the co-owner of Deli Works, Michelle Rousseau? Ms. Rousseau was a hostess at the Deli Works open house. RIGHT: Beverley Rousseau (left) and Rachel McClarty engage in spirited conversation over wine.
ON SUNDAY evening Deli Works Restaurant in Sovereign Centre entertained guests at an open house. The event was in celebration of the onset of the Christmas season. Guests had the opportunity to enjoy the best of what Deli Works has to offer, in a relaxed setting. That night, co-owners Michelle Rousseau and Suzanne Bernard both slipped into the role of hostesses, greeting their guests and ensuring that all were well-entertained.
"It is our first open house since we [Ciabello Catering] took over the restaurant in April earlier this year", said Ms. Rousseau.
One of the functions of the open house was to familiarise potential customers with the restaurant's offerings and Deli Works certainly gave a good account of itself.
"We want to show people that fine dining can be affordable. With our help, entertaining can be simple and cost-effective, and you can have sophisticated functions even if you haven't the time or know-how to make all the preparations yourself," Rousseau added.
The Deli Works name has been around in excess of 14 years, and the original restaurant focused on Jamaican foods. The current owners, however, do not intend to abandon that paradigm, but have extended the eatery's offerings to include a much wider variety of foods from an array of nationalities and cultures. In keeping with the Deli Works tradition, this Christmas they will offer for sale, prepared hams, dressed or undressed and Christmas turkeys. This comes in handy for those who wish to avoid the hassle of preparing meals themselves but prefer to enjoy the convenience of having someone else do the grunge work.
"This season and thereon, customers can expect the fine quality that they have come to associate with the Deli Works name," Ms. Rousseau said.
Among the guests at the open house were, Ambassador Douglas Saunders, Tina and Gary Matalon, Thalia and Michael Lyn, and David Hall.
