Local Deli Just Outside HVCC Has Served Students For Decades

By Nolan Cleary, Editor-In-Chief

One notable factor about the average Hudson Valley Community College experience is the eating values that surround the college. To entice students on campus, plenty of restaurants and eating locations have been set up in the area. Major food chains, like Wendy’s, Taco Bell, Subway’s and Panera’s Bread are just some of the options for students to eat at. 

Beyond the iconic chains, however, lies one longstanding independent venue that’s served residents of the community for years. The Deli and Brew, located just walking distance from Hudson Valley Community’s campus, has had the specific advantage of being a viable eating option for students for decades. 

While the business sells beer to-go, it is most well known for the food they sell. From Mac and cheese, baked ziti, a mouthwatering Italian stuffed roll and chicken parm, to plenty of dinner rolls and subs, the Deli and Brew’s massive menu lives up to the company’s motto “Size Does Matter”. 

The company has also received critical acclaim from guests and customers. In 2020, the Times Union ranked the Deli and Brew as #4 on their list of best sandwich shops in the Capital Region.

Since 1999, Ken “Stu” Stulmaker has owned Deli and Brew. Stulmaker started as a salesman before buying the business 22 years ago. Stulmaker said he feels at home is near the college. “We feel like we’re just another building on campus, just a little further over,” Stulmaker said. 

Stulmaker said the attitude of the employees matches their young adult target demographic. “I like it because a lot of our cliches are very sophomoric. All of our sayings and codes, and we’re pretty goofy, and we try to have fun with the college kids, but we appeal to everyone,” Stulmaker said. 

Many food chains took a big hit following the COVID-19 pandemic. Among them, independent chains were hurt the hardest. However, Stulmaker’s Deli and Brew stayed on their feet, due to a delivery element being in their business format for years. 

Stulmaker said that delivering food to people allowed his business to build enough revenue to survive and that the Troy community at large helped out to support the business. “We were using Meal-o forever and then we did GrubHub, and that really helped us out, and to this day, still helping us out. People are still afraid to go out,” Stulmaker said. 

Stulmaker managed to keep his business open through COVID without letting go of any of his employees. However, he did feel the business wasn’t the same without students in person. He said he looks forward to seeing students back on campus, and in his shop, as he misses the experiences he built with them.

“I’ve become friends and I have kids who come in who aren’t kids anymore and they’re like ‘do you remember me? 20 years ago I went to Hudson Valley’ so it feels good, because they come back, and they say ‘I used to come here every day’ which is nice, and it’s my favorite part of the business” Stulmaker said. 

Stulmaker said customers can stop at any time of the year except Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas.