By Elizabeth Wilkerson -- Daily Staff Writer

WINCHESTER - At Pickles Deli, the key to a great sandwich is a couple of Dills.

Gloria Dill, Pickles' sandwich master, said she and her daughter, Jamie, are business partners and run the deli together. The two Dills "got together and came up with Pickles," Dill said.

"Being able to design and build a superb sandwich every day is the best part of the job, and that's what we do," Dill said. "We call them masterpieces."

In the months since its September opening, the gourmet sandwich and salad shop has attracted a loyal and steadily growing group of customers, Dill said. Business has "increased every single week since we've been here," she said.

"We have a lot of familiar faces and first-name basis," she said. "It must be those superb sandwiches. ... I think we have earned a good reputation."

The deli, located at 201 E. Boscawen St., is housed in a building that was once home to a wedding chapel, Dill said. She is working to complete two dining rooms upstairs, which will serve as overflow seating for the deli and as a location for catered events, she said.

Pickles in hats, dresses and even high heels adorn the walls of the deli's main dining area. Dill said local artist Tammy LaFollette painted the pickles and the interchangeable panels for the seasonal "cumber garden" under the counter.

Customers can either dine in, call for delivery or "pickle up" — the Pickles term for carryout — their meal, she said. The deli has a lot of walk-in traffic, she said, and also does a fair amount of catering.

"Everything is fresh," Dill said, including the tuna and chicken that are roasted daily for the deli's tuna salad and chicken salads. Dill said there is a different sandwich and salad special every day, and homemade desserts, including coconut cake, chocolate flan and fruit pies.

Along with an assortment of sandwiches, Pickles' menu also boasts several salads and homemade dressings, including a lemon vinaigrette and a jalapeno ranch dressing. The jalapeno ranch seems to be the favorite of the homemade dressings, she said.

The deli's best-selling sandwich, The Holiday, includes fresh roasted turkey breast, lettuce, whole berry cranberry sauce and a homemade sage dressing, all on 12-grain bread, she said.

"I think that's the comfort food of Pickles," she said.

Dill said the deli doesn't "throw anything away." Instead, its owners use the food to help feed nearby hungry people, or donate it to the Salvation Army, she said.

Dill said her husband, Jim, owns a concrete business. The family owns and leases out the East Side Raw Bar & Grill on Millwood Pike, and also owns a small property management business, she said.

The family's attraction to the restaurant business came from "just liking people," Dill said.

"We love people," she said. "And we just like making everyone feel comfortable."

Dill said she enjoys working downtown and is looking forward to working during the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival.

"I love the downtown area," she said. "We've always been in the county with our other businesses. ... We like to think we're good neighbors to everyone downtown."

Jim Dill, who helped design the restaurant's kitchen, said the deli was his wife's idea. He said his wife read hundreds of cookbooks while seeking ideas for Pickles' menu.

"She's always wanted just a quaint little sandwich shop," he said. "I think she wanted to do it also because [she] enjoys meeting people. She's a real people person."

Jamie Dill said she and her mother had talked a lot about opening the deli. Things at the sandwich shop are "moving along pretty good now," she said.

"It's a lot of fun," she said of working with her mother.

"One of the best perks is being able to work with her [Jamie] every day," Gloria Dill said.

Jim Dill said the family worked together in the concrete business for more than 15 years, and they had "no real issues."

"We've always done it," he said. "We always stay together and make it work."

Pickles Deli is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and can be reached at 722-0091.

* Contact Elizabeth Wilkerson at ewilkerson@nvdaily.com