Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, March 30, 2017
Page 1

[Editor's note: The following article appeared in the January 2017 edition of Thunder Roads of Iowa magazine, a publication dedicated to all things motorcycle - the machines, the gear, the lifestyle and, of course, the road trip.

Recently Vernon Schwarte, owner/editor of Thunder Roads, visited Ringgold County as he neared completion of his goal to visit all 99 Iowa counties.

Presented below is Schwarte's account of his visit to Jamie's Coffee Mill and Deli in Mount Ayr. The article is reprinted in its entirety by permission of the author.]

By Vernon Schwarte

Rolling around Ringgold County in the middle of the week with Joe Dukes, about 12:30 p.m. we start to get a little bit hungry for some good vittles, and Joe recommends we go see Jamie. As he was the tour guide, I was all for it and left the decision up to him. One block north of the square, is where we had to go, and it sure was a good choice.

Jamie is one hell of a nice gal; and has a cool little place right there in Mount Ayr. The place offers breakfast and lunch for food options, a damn good cup of coffee from the first coffee shop in the county, and in a couple of adjoining rooms to the restaurant a large selections of gifts and cards.

The 1920's vintage building has been remodeled with a rustic de'cor and has many historical items from the area on display.

We ordered our food at the counter and grabbed a booth. Under a protective coat of poly on the table were various pages from local newspapers. Our table happened to have the local news for Kellerton from 1909.

On the menu is a plethora of fresh made sandwiches, salads, wraps, and more. The special of the day was a pulled pork Panini with a choice of a side, which is what Joe chose. No wonder he got the pulled pork, as he competes in BBQ competitions under the team name Smokin' Joe's BBQ. He got coleslaw for his side to go along with his sandwich. I opted for the Philly Panini with a side of macaroni salad.

I also opted to add a large mocha to the order, as it had recently began getting a little cooler when I was there, and the place had a wonderful smell in the air of fresh expresso. I dig a great cup of coffee, and this was the place for that. The mocha was served in a very large ceramic cup as pictured here and was a bit of chocolate creamy goodness. It was a far cry better, and far less expensive than the celestial body made deer type of chain coffee places.

The food arrived in quick order to the table from a friendly staffer. The sides were homemade style, and tasted very fresh. The sandwiches were grilled to perfection on the Panini press with just the right amount of crunch and chew.

Joe's pork was sauced and spiced just right, and was certainly more than he could eat. At the end of the meal he had half of his sandwich to take with in a to-go container as it was too much for him to eat.

My Philly was a great blend of roast beef, Swiss cheese, onions, pepper, and mayo. The toasted bread held the fillings in perfectly, and the fillings were not so moist as to make the bread soggy. The beef was slightly seasoned, with plenty of ooey gooey cheese. The sandwich was more than filling, so regrettably did not leave room for any of the home-style desserts, but will have to swing back through to try out some of the sweet treats when I can get back down that way.

For some good sandwiches, friendly service, and a good cup of coffee, swing into Jamie's in Mount Ayr.

Photograph courtesy of Mount Ayr Record-News
Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, September of 2017