Still tasting the personal touch at Delightful Dishes

Thank you Inman for the long time local love!

Our local customers have been amazing, supporting Delightful Dishes for over twenty years in Inman, SC. For that, we’d like to start off by thanking all of you for your kind, thoughtful words. It’s still those “word of mouth” mentions about our café and catering home hidden away in Inman that get us recognized in articles such as “Taste the personal touch at Inman’s Delightful Dishes” back in 2002.

In that original article which this post references, Julie Settle kindly refers to The Dish as a “little Inman treasure” or a café that offers a diverse array of delights. Of course, we were proud of that description. We’d worked diligently to carry on the inspired, reputable tradition we’d inherited and fallen in love with at The Dish back in 1997. We also thrived on adjectives like “little” in the same way a musician with a small, loyal following keeps playing their heart out gig after gig regardless to their audience size or reach. It’s about loving what you’re doing and bringing it every day. We’re not looking to be restaurant rock stars. However, we love what we do and appreciate that you keep showing up and spreading the word so we can keep doing it.

“Harmon and Morrow have owned the restaurant for 5½ years [As of the original writing in August 2002]. Both women worked there under the previous owners and though neither ever had any intention of owning their own business, they decided to buy when the previous owners were looking to sell.” –Julie Settle

The article goes on to note that Delightful Dishes is located off the beaten path on Asheville Highway. She mentions we are about a half mile past Chapman High School on the right off Highway 176. My, how the years fly by! That nearby high school where so many life long friends were made is now Mabry Middle School. Chapman High has long since relocated having grown into a much larger facility.

Frozen homemade casseroles for family meals and family time

From our early days at Delightful Dishes, we’ve always taken heart in watching local food favorites bring great friends together for good times over lunch. Speaking from personal Southern experience, some of our fondest, most memorable moments were made around the dinner table. And even back in those early days we wanted to make more of those positive experiences accessible to busy families as conveniently as possible.

“The casseroles are actually kept on hand and offer an easy solution to the ‘What’s for dinner?’ dilemma. Frozen homemade lasagnas, chicken divans and other dishes are available every day of the week in various sizes.” –Julie Settle

It may sound naive, but we still believe in the power of serving up a home baked casserole to inspire a weekly round table discussion. A convenient, simple dinner with loved ones remains a novel way to keep connected to the most important people in our lives. Unfortunately, as the pace of living continues to speed up, the pleasure of dinner conversation over chicken and rice casserole isn’t making the top of many to-do lists.

The good news is that Delightful Dishes still offers a quick fix for a variety of prepped dinners. However we still haven’t developed a life hack to pull family and friends together around the table for ya. That part is still on you. And it’s so worth the effort to make it happen. Relax, slow down for a little minute and enjoy making new memories face to face again. Imagine that. We’ll even bring the casseroles, prepared salads, desserts and strawberry tea right to your door with our Weekly Dish Deliver service.

Sandwiches with weird names and delightful reviews

Well, it seems our sandwich names have been interpreted numerous times and in various ways. And far be it from us to say if your interpretations are what was originally intended or if we even remember at this point. As long as our customers keep sharing positive feedback, we have no intentions of making major changes. On the other hand, we could always create new sandwiches, right? That’s exactly what we’ve done since the article referenced here was written.

“…sandwiches, each possessing an interesting name that shows the owners’ personal style.”

But let’s not dive into great detail yet about our new sandwiches or other new menu items as we’ll post updates for those individually. Instead, we’ll share what Julie referred to as the “Chef’s choice” back in 2002: 

“The best selling sandwiches on the menu are the ‘Henny Penny,’ made with a chicken breast, bacon, Swiss, lettuce, tomato and honey mustard, and the ‘Heart-n-Soul,’ which features homemade chicken salad served with lettuce and tomato on whole wheat.”

Settle goes on to describe some of our other fan favorites to include: the “Humpty Dumpty,” which is homemade egg salad served on whole wheat, the “Sweet William” made with the chef’s own pimiento cheese and the the “Farmer’s Market” made with lots of fresh vegetables. All of our sandwiches can be completely customized and ordered online now too! 

From the best chicken salad and other popular prepared salads to tasty tossed salads

Okay, no complaints, but this is the one part of the 2002 article where we believe Settle simply wasn’t exposed to the locals long enough to mooch a sampling of Delightful Dishes Chicken Salad. She writes, “The menu also includes an assortment of salads, from basic chicken and tuna…” No need to include the rest of that sentence, we just wanted to caution our customers not to be too harsh here. : )

Perhaps Julie just didn’t know that there is absolutely nothing basic about chicken salad. Can I please get someone to second that emotion!?! That’s what we’re talking about! If there is one cornerstone dish that sets the Southern standard at Delightful Dishes, it’s definitely the chicken salad. And we do not shy away from stating it’s not only chicken salad, it’s the best chicken salad. So we simply cannot let the words “basic” and “chicken salad” ever be placed next to each other without setting the record straight. Okay, exhale, no permanent damage done. I hope we all feel a bit better now having made this critical correction though.

“Customers also rave about the Create Your Own Salad options. The strawberry congealed salad is really popular, the owners said.“ –Julie Settle

The rest of Settle’s text about prepared salads went on to mention “house specialties such as strawberry congealed salad, pasta salad or broccoli salad. (And that’s just naming a few.)” Furthermore, she also reported that customers often opt to create their own salad plate with two, three, or four of any of our homemade prepared salads served on a bed of lettuce. These Create Your Own Plates are also customizable online and very popular choices with teachers placing school delivery orders which is a service we provide schools in the surrounding area that place twelve or more orders at a time.

In the 2002 article, only a minor mention was made of our tossed salads: “A chef salad and a mesquite chicken salad are also available.”, Settle wrote. We’re pleased to note here that our current menu features over seven tossed salads including a brand new salad we recently rolled out in addition to our seasonal salads.

Daily special hotplates, chicken pecan quiche, soups and sides

Settle summed up the daily specials with the following: “There are also hot daily specials. Homemade lasagna served with a salad and breadstick or a meatloaf served with potato casserole and green beans are among the daily special offerings. You’ll also find different soups every day and a popular stuffed potato, which comes with butter, cheese, sour cream and bacon.”

We need to add that we also serve a delicious Chicken Pecan Quiche daily. It’s always good times challenging more macho guests to get a little fancy as we sport custom Delightful Dishes’ T-shirts that make the statement “REAL MEN EAT QUICHE!“. If ya haven’t tried the quiche yet guys, don’t be ashamed. Be strong! It’s on the menu daily now for a good reason: popular demand.

Keep an eye on the website for the daily specials including hot plates, soups and unique desserts only available that day.

As mentioned in the 2002 article, the younger kids tend to choose between a grilled cheese sandwich or the baked potato. But don’t be fooled, there are plenty of young locals that know their way around The Dish menu like they know their way around a smart phone. In fact, we wouldn’t be surprised if their parents are having them place the family’s order for pick up on a mobile device before heading over.

We think you’d agree times have changed just a little bit since 2002 folks. We’re right there with ya, keeping up and keeping it convenient too. But despite evolving with a gig economy, doing digital does not mean dinner should be any less delightful. So, consider that what truly connects us, especially across generations, isn’t likely the latest smart phone, but more likely inherited recipes, fresh food and lively conversation. Cheers!

Desserts: Don’t get us started on cakes, cupcakes, pies, cookies and more.

Can we all agree that desserts at The Dish would be about impossible for anyone to cover in a general article that was meant to summarize our complete menu even in 2002? Now take into account it’s over 18 years later. You not only have our standard menu of cakes, cupcakes, pies, cookies and bars, but you also have daily creative cupcake and cookie choices made fresh on the fly. Apologies if your eyes kinda glaze over as you struggle to select only one sweet treat from our glass displays. Good luck and Enjoy!

“Customer’s Choice: Eliza Bertling of Spartanburg raved about the chocolate layer cake” –Julie Settle

Julie just kept it simple back in the 2002 article and summed up our desserts with the following: “The dessert list includes more than 15 selections of cakes, pies and cookies. A couple of the best sellers are the Peter Paul Mound Cake and the Italian Creme Cake.” 

So, following Julie’s approach, we’ll leave it at that here as we’re really just recapping these past press releases and articles with a little commentary and a few updates or embellishments. Plus, you can treat yourself by browsing and ordering desserts online. So, as stated before, don’t get us started on desserts. That’s a topic that will be tackled over multiple dedicated posts. And we look forward to writing, sharing and even tempting you with each one of them!

Decor is much more than the interior style of a building.

This part of Delightful Dishes, we are pleased to say, has underwent some drastic yet delicate reconstruction. Julie described the decor in 2002: “The restaurant consists of two front rooms and a back room that can be reserved for private lunches. The larger of the front rooms is very open with wide windows overlooking Highway 176.“

“As the restaurant name implies, it is truly a delightful spot to spend your lunch break.” –Julie Settle

While still maintaining the wide windows with a view, we carefully designed what we think is an even more “delightful spot to share your lunch.” Many of you are already aware that The Dish invested in a complete interior re-build over two consecutive years in 2016 & 2017; So, we hope you returned to a pleasant surprise each time. Our fresh, re-finished interior layout is not only more spacious, but also much more convenient. Customers are able to quickly pick up their take out and online orders while dine-in customers also have access to additional registers during busier hours which minimizes wait time. 

“There’s also a station set up with pitchers of tea, water and lemonade so diners don’t have to wait on a waitress for a refill.” –Julie Settle

In addition to our sweet and unsweetened tea, strawberry teas and lemonade options, we now offer a complete line of soft drinks. And we were certainly exited to be able to showcase our special daily desserts in multiple glass cases near our front counter.

More importantly, let’s finish making our point about decor being more than interior design: Regardless to style, our regulars are what make up the substance and true atmosphere inside Delightful Dishes. Over the years we’ve been able to stay in touch with life long friends, their parents and grandparents. More recently, we’ve welcomed our friend’s children and so on without giving away more about our ages (We’re getting old!). We’ve been blessed with new friends at Delightful Dishes; and, unfortunately, we’ve lost some of those closest and dearest to us. For all the decorative touches one could hope to apply, we truly understand that it’s you that gives The Dish personality and character. Thanks again for that! Own it.

Catering for corporate functions, events and more

It was also noted that Delightful Dishes offers a large catering menu often catering corporate functions. We continue to offer catering services with a tasty assortment of what’s written about in this article’s content: appetizers, salads, casseroles, desserts and more.