Hi-Line Deli: This joint is open

With a red neon sign that states “This Joint Is Open,” the Hi-Line General Store and Deli in Ronan welcomes customers from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. The deli, located in the former Ronan Sports & Western building on Hwy. 93, is adjacent to the Hi-Line marijuana dispensary.

The deli offers more than 20 kinds of meat and cheese, according to Chuck Holman, one of the partners of the parent company, Mission Mountain Holdings. Sliced meats, including Lebanon bologna, and cheeses from Walnut Creek in Ohio’s Amish country can be combined into delicious sandwiches served on Walnut Creek bagels or bread from Wheat Montana.

Deli manager Niko Jackson makes hearty soups, including creamy tomato, potato and broccoli cheese. The deli also serves decadent macaroni and cheese and brisket burnt ends.

For those with a sweet tooth, Jackson bakes cinnamon rolls, biscuits and cookies, too. For thirsty customers, the deli has a giant cooler full of cold drinks and also serves brewed coffee, mochas, lattes, and other coffee drinks featuring Fieldheads Coffee from Bigfork.

The retail side of Hi-Line deli offers applewood-smoked bacon slabs sliced to the customer’s preferred thickness. Other goodies include Lebanon meats and cheeses by the pound, prosciutto, salami, macaroni salad, potato salad and crab dip, when it’s available (this favorite sells out quickly).

The deli had a soft opening Sept. 24, in tandem with the Ronan Chamber of Commerce’s annual Harvest Fest. The crew was busy unpacking and preparing their new business when they noticed the crowd of people flocking to Harvest Fest across the street.

“What the heck,” they said. “Let’s open the doors and see what happens.”

The deli drew 25 to 30 customers with no advertising, Holman said.

“We got rave reviews,” he added. “People said, ‘I’m coming back.’”

So they opened the deli the next Monday morning and have been feeding folks ever since.

While the food and the friendly service draw people into the deli, the decor doesn’t hurt. The inside shouts Montana, with metal roofing and wood from a company investor, who tore down a barn in Conrad.

“All the wood and metal in this building has been repurposed,” said Holman.

The partners remodeled the old Ronan Sports and Western building themselves, only calling in plumbers and electricians for work that needed to be permitted. They’re aim was to make the new business environmentally friendly, keep the costs down, and maintain the authentic Montana feel.

“A tagline from the Hi-Line Company is ‘a real Montana brand,’” Holman said. Continuing with the authentic flavor, the company’s logo has a line drawing of a bull skull enclosing a rocking HL, which is a registered Montana cattle brand.

Eventually the group would like to fill the deli’s extra space and make it a general store, where customers can buy some bulk goods, such as flour, sugar, grains, and other items.

“Some of our investors from the Hi-Line are cattle ranchers, and we know folks here in the valley who raise cattle,” Holman said. “We have access to some good Montana beef, pork and poultry.” By processing those products through USDA-approved plants, they can make frozen meat available to the public.

Other aspirations include expanding the deli’s dinner menu to include premade pastas and sauces so the dinner crowd can craft their own meals. Eventually, Holman said, they might try to obtain a beer and wine license so customers can enjoy an adult beverage with dinner.

“We’re always looking, when we go into a community, how we can make a difference,” he noted.

He’s involved with the Ronan Chamber of Commerce and Ronan Revitalization too. He noted that Mission Mountain Holdings jumped right in and has sponsored the Ronan Trunk or Treat since its inception. Held at the Ronan Fairgrounds this year, the event drew a huge crowd.

This year, proceeds raised from sponsorships went to 4-H and FFA groups.

“We have the community supporting us and we want to be able support the community,” Holman said. “That’s important to us.”

Check out their menu on Facebook at The Hi-line Deli and General Store for some mouth-watering photos.

    The interior of the new Hi-Line Deli in Ronan, which offers a tasty assortment of soups, sandwiches and beverages. (Berl Tiskus/Leader)