Mar 8, 2024 By Paul Paterra 3 min read

After nearly 30 years working in health care and sales, Bobbie Miller decided to pursue her passion for food.

“I always liked to cook food and do things food-related,” the Washington woman said. “I never really wanted to be in health care. When it stopped being a good thing for me to be in health care I decided to look into this,” referring to her new eatery, Cutting Board Deli, opened March 1.

Located at 101 N. Main St. in Washington, at the site of the World Wide Eatz, the restaurant offers soups, sandwiches and salads, opening at 7:30 a.m. most days for breakfast.

During the pandemic, Miller couldn’t make sales calls and instead cooked for residents of assisted living facilities because there was no staff on hand.

“I learned how to use those more industrial kitchens as opposed to more residential kitchens,” Miller said. “It’s kind of always been there in the background.”

Her first venture into owning a food business, Miller decided to start small.

“It’s a really small spot, so I don’t have room for a lot of things,” she said, noting the deli has 12 seats for diners.

With the deli’s proximity to Washington & Jefferson College, Miller said she is gauging the popularity of items such as boba teas, something she expects to offer in April.

“That corner lot seems to be a good presence,” she said, referring to her location. “I’m hoping to grow a little bit and hopefully move to a bigger spot, but I always want to remain in that area. The other end of Main Street has a lot of businesses and this end doesn’t. I wouldn’t want to take away from where I’ve been getting business even in the past few days.”

During the first few days, Miller said the breakfast business was somewhat slow but afternoons have been “extremely busy.”

“My very first order was for 16 sandwiches,” Miller said.

To date, her best-selling item has been the Reuben sandwich, which she expects will be in demand Saturday during the “Washington Goes Irish” festival.

So far, Miller is a one-woman operation but is looking for someone who can help serve food, clear tables and interact with customers.

“I want to be a part of that community,” Miller said. “I want people to know I’m there and I’m not just the restaurant, I’m also there for people from businesses that may not be able to go to the other side of town for lunch. I want to make my presence known to them.”

The Cutting Board Deli is open from 7:30 a.m., to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. most Saturdays.