Annie’s Deli: 40 Years of Sandwiches, Local Legends, and….

Annie’s Deli in Pluckemin (Bedminster), New Jersey, has been making sandwiches for 40 Years, and… a Final Goodbye is coming soon.

Where else could you order a Dr. Jazz, a Junk Yard Dog, a Tooth Fairy, or a Cat on a Hot Tin Roof? At Annie’s Deli in Pluckemin, every sandwich came with a little local history.

Some places are sandwich shops; others, like Annie’s Deli in Pluckemin, New Jersey, made ordering lunch feel like attending a neighborhood reunion. The menu wasn’t simply a collection of meats, cheeses, and condiments. It was a who’s who of local personalities, pilots, police officers, schoolteachers, family members, pets, and a few characters whose stories were probably better told over a sandwich.

After 40 years of serving the community, Annie’s Deli has announced that October 24, 2026, will be its final day. Customers will certainly miss the sandwiches, but what makes this closing especially meaningful is the remarkable collection of local memories Annie’s helped preserve. Because at Annie’s, even the sandwiches had a history.

Before Annie, There Was Emily and the Burnt Mills Deli

The story begins in the early 1980s with Emily Stine, daughter of Jack Stine, who owned the Colonial Liquor Store in Pluckemin. Emily had earned her master’s degree in art therapy in 1982, but finding a job in her chosen field proved difficult. After trying her hand at theater costumes, set design, graphic design, and other creative pursuits, she decided to take a completely different direction.

She would open a deli. There was just one small problem. Emily didn’t know much about running one. But she knew what made a good sandwich, and sometimes that’s enough to start a business.

The original operation, called the Burnt Mills Deli, opened inside her father Jack Stine’s Colonial Liquor Store. Emily Stine made up for her lack of restaurant experience with creativity and a deep understanding of the people around her. Having grown up in Pluckemin, Emily knew the community was full of interesting characters. Instead of offering ordinary sandwich names, she honored the people who made the neighborhood special. And with that, one of New Jersey’s most unusual sandwich menus was born.

So Who Was Annie?

Here’s something that might surprise longtime customers: Annie wasn’t the founder. After operating the Burnt Mills Deli for several years, Emily sold the business to a woman named Annie, who moved the operation into a historic building dating to approximately 1820.

• Annie was the second owner, purchasing the original Burnt Mills Deli from Emily Stine.
• Her husband was named Joe, and the Joe Palooka sandwich was named for him.
• Her son, Spencer, was honored with the Spencer’s Special sandwich.
• She moved the deli to the historic building at 2095 Burnt Mills Road and renamed the business.
• She sold the business before 1994, when Roman and Nick Hnidj took ownership after Mike and Bob Bashahd owned it in the interim.

Annie renamed the business Annie’s Deli, introduced several of her own sandwiches, and wisely kept Emily’s original creations. The Deli subsequently passed briefly through the ownership of Mike and Bob Bashahd before Roman and Nick Hnidj purchased it in 1994.

Roman and Nick had previously operated a bakery, which explains another beloved part of the Annie’s experience: homemade cookies, desserts, salads, and other treats. Nick retired in 2009, while Roman and Patty kept the business running. Through all those changes, one thing remained remarkably consistent: the sandwich menu, which had become something of a local historical document.

The Sandwich Hall of Fame: You Can’t Make These Names Up

Perhaps the best thing about Annie’s menu was that many sandwiches were named after real people. Not celebrities. Not fictional advertising mascots. Real people who lived, worked, flew airplanes, taught school, and occasionally wandered into the Deli looking for lunch.

Take Dr. Jazz, for example. Emily’s father, Jack Stine, named this roast beef sandwich with horseradish cheese and Tiger sauce after himself. Dr. Jazz was one of his nicknames, and the family story even mentions his personalized license plates.

Then there was Big Max, named after local real estate personality Max Spann. When Emily later had a son named Max, the sandwich took on a second family connection. Dan Smith worked for Max Spann and apparently wanted his own sandwich so badly that Emily finally obliged. Patricia Ryan, another real estate professional in Max Spann’s office, also made the menu. Apparently, selling houses and getting sandwiches named after you went hand in hand in Pluckemin.

The Somerset Airport Crowd

Pluckemin’s aviation community was especially well represented. Al Schillberg was a tow pilot at Somerset Airport. Emily joked that she couldn’t name sandwiches after the other airport personalities and leave Al out, or he might tow her into a hangar wall. Danny Walker was another Somerset Airport personality. Carleton Sue Rehr was a pilot and Lou Rehr’s wife, a World War II hero and accomplished aviator. Naturally, both Carleton and Lou earned sandwiches. Imagine a deli where the local pilots were as famous as the sandwiches named after them.

The Cops, Doctors, and Schoolteachers

Chopper One honored Ray Haines, who managed the liquor store and had previously worked as a police officer. His nickname, Chop the Cop, inspired the sandwich. Gary Cummings was a Bedminster police officer and regular customer who later became police chief. Doc Walsh was the local veterinarian, remembered as Emily’s friend and a familiar face at the Deli. Miss Malley was Emily’s kindergarten teacher at Hamilton School in Bridgewater. Now that’s a nice way to remember someone who helped start your education. Monroe Ballentine operated the gas station across the street and was another neighborhood personality who earned a place on the menu. Even Lloyd Hess, the liquor store and deli accountant, was immortalized between two slices of deli. Who says accountants don’t get any recognition?

The Family, the Pets, and the Really Strange Names

Some of the funniest stories belonged to sandwiches with little to do with the town’s business community. Annie named Darla June after Emily’s cat, which she persuaded her to adopt as a supposedly young stray. The surprise? The cat was actually fully grown and pregnant.

Mrs. Terwilliger was another cat, this one Annie’s. Little Jack honored Emily’s son Jack, named after his grandfather. Spencer’s Special was named after Annie’s son Spencer: Joe PalooSpecialred, Annie’s husband, Joe. Suzy Wong was Emily’s best friend in childhood. Then there’s Tame Me Amy, named after Emily herself because someone misunderstood her name.

And don’t forget Yard Good, perhaps one of New Jersey’s greatest accidental sandwich names. Emily’s grandmother couldn’t remember the surname Grunwald, Emily’s first husband’s surname, and called him Yardgood instead. The nickname stuck. You couldn’t invent a better story.

A Dentist, a Horse, and a First Fork

Two other sandwich names deserve special attention. Tooth Fairy was named in honor of Emily’s husband, a dentist. He also inspired the sandwich called Kindly Old Doc Pike. And then there’s First Fork, one of the menu’s most wonderfully peculiar names.

After leaving the deli business, Emily owned a horse and helped offset boarding expenses by cleaning stalls early each morning. Her barn nickname became First Fork, and Annie eventually named a sandwich after her. From art therapy to sandwiches to shoveling horse manure, Emily certainly had an interesting career path.

Not Every Sandwich Was Named After a Person

Some names were too good to pass up. Colonel Mustard drew inspiration from the classic Board game Clue. Jaws was, appropriately enough, a tuna sandwich named after the famous shark movie. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof was another tuna creation, inspired by the well-known film title. Baby Snooks came from an old radio program one of theDeli’ss regulars enjoyed. Ray Kroc was Annie’s take on an Egg McMuffin, named after the McDonald’s founder. And Junk Yard Dog, loaded with turkey, ham, bacon, Muenster cheese, coleslaw, and Russian dressing, became one of theDeli’ss most celebrated sandwiches.

Even the giant subs carried local connections. Big Larry was a local contractor, Mr. DeFalco was Emily’s former landlord, Mean Jean was a deli employee who wasn’t actually mean, and Tiny the Giant was a particularly tall, gentle regular. The menu was practically a neighborhood directory, except this one came with pickles.

More Than Just Sandwiches

Over the decades, Annie’s became known for far more than its unusual menu. The bakery experience that Roman and Nick brought to the business helped establish a reputation for homemade desserts, cookies, and salads. Catering became another important part of the operation.

But what really made Annie’s Special was its connection to the community. The deli specialized in stories that might otherwise disappear: a pilot at Somerset Airport, a local veterinarian, a schoolteacher, a gas station owner, an accountant, and countless family connections.

Think about it. How many businesses can say that their menu documents the people who helped shape the surrounding neighborhood? In a small but meaningful way, Annie’s was preserving Pluckemin history long before anyone thought to call it a historical project.

The Last Chapter: October 24, 2026

The farewell announcement displayed at Annie’s carries the heading “Our Last Chapter.” It reflects on four decades of serving the community and thanks customers for their support, friendships, and memories. The message also announces that theDeli’ss final day will be Saturday, October 24.

For longtime customers, the closing means more than losing a convenient place for breakfast or lunch. It means saying goodbye to a familiar piece of Pluckemin life. The Delii has been part of the community for approximately 40 years, while the historic building it occupies has stood for roughly two centuries.

Generations of customers have come through its doors, ordered sandwiches named after people they may or may not have known, and carried away a little piece of local tradition. Somewhere along the way, the sandwich names became part of the community’s folklore.

One Last Sandwich, One Last Story

At Mr. Local History, we often remind people that local history isn’t always about Revolutionary War generals, grand mansions, or historic markers. Sometimes it’s about a little deli in Pluckemin where a woman who couldn’t find a job in art therapy decided to make sandwiches and name them after her friends.

Sometimes it’s about a sandwich honoring a tow pilot, a kindergarten teacher, or somebody’s cat. And sometimes the history worth saving is printed on a menu hanging behind the counter. Annie’sDelii may be closing its doors, but its wonderfully strange sandwich names deserve to live on.

So before October 24 arrives, stop in, order one last Junk Yard Dog, Dr. Jazz, or Tooth Fairy, and thank the people who kept this neighborhood tradition alive. Because when Annie’s closes, Pluckemin won’t just lose a sandwich shop. It will lose one of its most delicious collections of local history.

Help Us Preserve the Stories Behind Annie’s Deli

Did you work at Annie’s? Did you know Emily, Annie, Roman, Patty, Nick, or anyone whose name appeared on the menu? Maybe you were one of the lucky people who actually had a sandwich named after you. We’d love to hear your memories, see your old photographs, and learn more about the characters who made this Delii such a special place.

Share your stories with the Mr. Local History Project so we can preserve this wonderful piece of Pluckemin history for future generations—Jersey history with a social twist.

Now We Share Annie, the name behind Annie’s Deli

The Woman Behind Annie’s Deli Name?
We Think We Know

Meet Anna Eleanor Hall – Smith – Kalina – Todd (and if we’re wrong, we hope you’ll let us know).

Anna Eleanor Hall (1922–1999) was born in Annandale, New Jersey, to Russell Oakley Hall and Cora B. Robinson. She married Edward James Smith Jr. in 1941, and they had two daughters, Carol Ann and Edwina Jane (later Jane Nied). Her second husband was Joseph Richard “Joe” Kalina (1917–1968), who, along with his brother Robert “Bob” Kalina, operated the historic Pluckemin Inn in Bedminster Township, as documented in a 1963 liquor-license notice. Anna helped Joe run the inn, and after his death in 1968, his brother bought out her interest. She used the money to buy Bridgewater’s popular Top O’Th Hill Tavern, which she operated for 31 years alongside her daughter, Jane. Anna married her third husband, Lynford E. Todd, in 1976.

Anna became a trailblazer in New Jersey’s tavern industry. In 1981, she became the first woman to serve as vice president of the New Jersey Licensed Beverage Association. She was also the first woman to serve as president of the Somerset County Licensed Beverage Association, serving several terms, including 1988–1993. Anna died on August 12, 1999, at age 77, following an automobile accident on Route 202/206 in Bridgewater, near her tavern. She left behind her husband Lynford, two daughters, five grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. Her family’s connections to Pluckemin make her a promising candidate for the Annie behind Annie’s Deli, although that identification remains unconfirmed.

Interestingly, Anna’s name appears on two gravestones in two different cemeteries. At Holy Cross Cemetery in Basking Ridge, a monument identifies her as Anna E. Hall (1922), alongside her second husband, Joseph R. Kalina (1917–1968), without her death year. Approximately twenty miles west, at Readington Reformed Church Cemetery, another stone commemorates Anna Eleanor (1922–1999) alongside her third husband, Lynford E. Todd (1927–2002). Her 1999 newspaper obituary identifies Readington as her burial location, while the Kalina monument preserves her earlier marriage and connection to Pluckemin history.

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