Delicious Dezi Dalton

Dezi, who runs the fabulous deli in Market Road, Rye, must be one of the most hard working movers and shakers in our little town. So I was filled with trepidation of being turned down like a bedspread for an interview, but glory be, she had time to fit me in, between catering for a wedding and going off for a little well-earned R&R.

Dezi, one of six children, appeared in this life in London in 1967, probably in the cosy middle of a Portuguese custard tart. Her Indian heritage gave her a focus on food and feeding so perhaps she was destined to be here. After university in Birmingham reading politics and economics and, as a postgraduate in human resources and training in London, she then went on to work for blue chip companies in the financial and insurance industries.

So, as I said at the beginning, no lightweight, and with an insatiable appetite for hard work and for the delicious things in life, prepared and supplied for us all in her immaculate shop.

Pregnant with their daughter, she set about the mad thing that foolish people
do – starting refurbishing their house with the due date fast looming. It was time for full-time motherhood, well that was the plan, but no! After four years of HR and training consultancy in London her second-born arrived; it was now definitely time for full-time motherhood. However, in a moment of spontaneity she went to view the little deli in its previous home on the High Street, and thought that would do nicely as a ‘little project’ to keep her off the streets.

In the space of just over two years the business was in perpetual ‘start-up’ and her beloved children are not named Coleslaw and / or Bean Salad, just in case you are asking.

Dezi launched their pub The Globe Inn but relinquished it at the end of the 10 year lease then another deli in Battle, which is still there under the same name but sold some years ago, and The White Vine House which remains in the family but leased to the White House team. So now the focus is very much Rye Deli and Rye Candy, the original deli site which was kept on as the site itself holds a lot of sentiment for Dezi – “our (business) first-born”.

I know that for the first time in her life Dezi went to India last year and had a ball, being knocked over by the sights and sounds, colours and smells. I wondered if she had any hankerings for taking her life there, but luckily she loves us all here –  wonderful.

We talked about the hugely complicated workload of running a delicatessen with so many different suppliers, and with the vagaries of real food deterioration times. But on the flip side, in the 20 years since opening the deli doors, Dezi confirmed that there was not a day at work she didn’t look forward to. The combination of being very much a local shop and a place for visitors to enjoy made the mix challenging and exciting.

The deli employs 15 people and has had the privilege of catering for local events and occasions as well as hundreds of film / location shoots. Unfortunately, non-disclosure agreements and the deli’s natural discretion means they can’t share some of the very exciting projects for which they have cooked which is sad for us, but we understand.

The best thing about Rye is the community we have here. An all-embracing, supportive and caring place where our increasing diversity is welcomed and celebrated. The groups of people here are quirky and committed to keeping this place interesting and special and Dezi says she is already looking forward to retiring to enable getting more involved in local activities. Phew!

After the interview I retired home exhausted, not from overwork but from the thought of her days. We are thrilled with our wonderful deli, and our wonderful Dezi. Lucky Rye.

Image Credits: Col Everett .