Along the river trail in Massillon, on the corner of Lake and S.R. 21, The Blue Heron Deli is serving up fresh, homemade sandwiches and salads.  Its owner, Molly Lehman, is a young, sunny, environmentally minded College of Wooster graduate who is still in her first year of ownership. However, the place has changed dramatically since she took over.  She’s helped the business to reflect her affable personality, including on the walls, which she redecorated since buying the deli.

Black and white photos of the river, among paintings by one of her Wooster collegues, bring a natural, friendly atmosphere to the store.  Her father, Ernie, who owns the bike shop next door, supplied a few of his own pictures from a canoe trip he took down the river years ago from Navarre to New Orleans. The family’s environmental consciousness spills into the business structure.  Molly recycles all glass and plastic bottles while working on trail cleanups outside of the restaurant.   “We try to do as much as we can to keep it clean,” she says. The business went through several owners since 2003 and Molly has worked hard to get it where it is today.  It’s not much of a struggle for her.  “I love it, this place is a lot of fun,” she says, smiling. Her attitude reflects the kind of fast and friendly service you get when you walk in the door.  The sandwiches, all served with chips and a giant pickle, are as filling as they are delicious.  The BBQ pulled pork is served straight from the crock pot and has a tanginess and flavor characteristic of home-style cooking. Sticking to the home-style beat, the Blue Heron also provides the rare service of packing lunch for work, school or whatever.  Just call in an order on the way and pick it up, brown-bagged and everything.  It’s sure to be the envy of fellow co-workers or schoolmates, whose mothers probably couldn’t even make a lunch as good as Molly’s. Another customer favorite is the Italian sub, served with a generous portion of meat and an assortment of veggies.  It comes either cold or toasted, but we suggest the toasted to bring out the warm, succulent flavor that will make you cry “Mama Mia!” For those with a sweet tooth, the Blue Heron has the scoop on 11 different flavors of ice cream and IBC sodas in the classic glass bottles. Among all the reasons to visit the deli, maybe none is as important as their entrepreneurial spirit and the idea that the small, family-oriented business won’t sacrifice customer service or food quality for mass appeal.  It is, in its own right, a classic piece of Americana. “It’s rare to find a good independent restaurant anymore,” Molly says.  In the fast-paced world of drive thru lines and five-dollar footlongs, it seems restaurants like hers are few and far-between. It’s refreshing to find a spot that doesn’t only fill you up, but also leaves you feeling nourished and satisfied. That’s a great feeling to have after hiking through the scenic trails along the river, which is why Molly says, “We’re a perfect little trail stop.”