Cheese Shoppe and Deli is Newest Business in Lake Wales

Lovers of Amish cheeses and hearty deli sandwiches will be delighted to learn of Lake Wales' newest business, The Lake Wales Cheese Shoppe and Deli opened for business last week on Bullard Avenue. The brightly lighted shop features stocked coolers and shelves of specialty food products.

"We specialize in Amish meats and cheeses," owner Tim Johnson told LakeWalesNews.Net. "We stock popular brands like Troyers from Ohio, Kunzler from Pennsylvania, and Yoders from Michigan."

Other brands from Amish companies line the coolers, including Amish Wedding, Ellsworth and Guggisberg, popular Wisconsin labels. The also stock cheese curds, which may be fried and flavored and have become a popular item locally.

The shop also features a wide range of meats, including sausage and kielbasa. A full offering of made-to-order deli sandwiches will be available for ordering online from their kitchen beginning November 1. They will include the classic turkey sandwich along with a Rueben, ham and cheese, and other popular lunch items. The shop will offer limited seating.

"We will be primarily take-out," Tim Johnson said. "We were slammed on Saturday" Johnson added, pointing out that "our goal is to be a specialty destination, so that people passing through the area will stop by to see us."

Co-owners Grace and Tim Johnson hail from Sebring. They purchased interest in the Cheese Hut there before establishing their own shop in Lake Wales.

The new enterprise also features a wide variety of packaged foods including Indiana spices, honey, pastries, cookies, jams and jellies, gourmet sodas (including birch beer), and dozens of different kinds of specialty chips. Cheeses are offered in two-pound wheels or sliced to order.

The Cheese Shoppe and Deli is located at 224 East Bullard Avenue, only a block west of the History Museum on Scenic Highway.