It’s a Small World, After All
photo courtesy of Sherry Bohnenkamp
If you’re headed into Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, stop by a little deli off the Interstate called Middletown Liberty — it offers a slice of heaven to all of its customers, including truck drivers, locals and community college students.
Assistant Manager Melissa Ruleman said, “I love my job. Truck drivers don’t get home-cooked meals on the road, and we’re the place to go if you want home-cooked.”
From the popular Big Daddy (a Philly Cheesesteak made with mushrooms, onions, peppers and provolone cheese) to the Sweet Baby (made with pulled pork and Sweet Baby Ray’s Barbecue Sauce), there are tons of tasty choices to tantalize your taste buds.
“We like to feed people when they come in the door,” said owner Sherry Bohnenkamp. “I like to tell people, if they leave hungry, it’s their own fault.”
What really puts Middletown Liberty on the map is its latest Italian specialty, the Meatball Calzone, created by Ruleman. This is no ordinary calzone — this one has a story to tell.
One day a soldier stopped by the deli for something to eat. Ruleman, whose husband was stationed in Iraq, talked him into the new Meatball Calzone. About a month later when the soldier was deployed to Iraq, he was talking to another soldier from Shenandoah Valley. He told the soldier about a delicious calzone he had at a Middletown Liberty. The soldier pulled out a picture of his wife and asked if the woman in the deli looked like the woman in the picture. It did.
Middletown Liberty Meatball Calzone
photo courtesy of Sherry Bohnenkamp
“His response was, ‘Oh my God! Your wife made that calzone! What a small world and what a great calzone!’” recalled Bohnenkamp.
This popular calzone is made with Delorios pizza dough and generously stuffed with cheese, 1 oz meatballs cut in half, diced onions, diced green peppers and Don Pepino pizza sauce. To top it off, the dough is lightly brushed with a rich buttery sauce. Delicioso!
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