Well, isn't this a pretty pickle bread? Dish at Marvin's Corner Lunch is a surprise hit
Chefs create new recipes all the time, but for owner Joshua Plahm his scratch-made pickle bread at Marvin’s Corner Lunch Diner in Worcester was created by “happy accident.” While pickle bread isn’t new to the food scene, Plahm undeniably has taken its popularity to a new level with his customers.
The story of how pickle bread got on the diner’s menu began with a wholesale five-gallon bucket of pickles. Plahm had ordered half kosher dill pickles that he planned to serve with sandwiches and burgers. Instead, he got what he describes as five gallons of chopped pickles, almost the consistency of relish.
“I was frustrated and I didn’t really know what to do about the mix-up,” said Plahm. “Returning the bucket wasn’t in the cards,” he said. Plahm and his wife, Jennie, quickly took on the pickle challenge. At first, they thought pickle lovers might enjoy a tiny cup of the relish served as a condiment with a burger or sandwich and then decided against the idea. “Nothing really appealed to us until I thought of making pickle bread,” said Plahm, who already was making sourdough, English muffins and golden raisin and seeded rye breads for the diner. He said he came up with four or five different pickle bread recipes before finding the perfect one. His wife was the taste tester, he said. “I love making all different kinds of bread,” said Plahm. “For me, baking bread is a way to relax.” Note: Bulkie rolls and bagels on the diner’s menu are not made on premise.
Plahm’s hearty bread studded with chopped dill pickles and fresh dill makes a great sandwich, especially a pickled grilled cheese, said Jennie Plahm. “Some customers just like the bread slathered with butter,” she said. One customer recently asked the chef to make thick sliced, pickle bread French toast. She liked it, he said.
When customers spot pickle bread on the menu they usually ask about it, said Plahm. Some people consider it a little weird, while others say it’s delicious and the pickle taste isn’t overpowering. It’s all about personal taste,” he said.
The diner accepts pre-orders and usually stocks a couple extra loaves of the bread for take-out customers. For breads, Plahm buys freshly stone-milled flours from Ground Up Grain in Hadley. The local company crafts great flour, he said.
Plaham, born in Texas, refers to himself as a “military brat,” explaining that his father served in the military and the family moved from place to place during his father’s enlistment. “My dad ended his career at Fort Devens Massachusetts,” said Plahm.
In 2021,Plahm bought the Corner Lunch Diner property at 131 Lamartine St., Worcester, from Charles Boukalis. He changed the diner’s name to honor the late Dr. Marvin Baum, his wife’s grandfather. Baum, who died in 2019 at 98, reportedly was a founding member of the Fallon Clinic in Worcester and worked at St. Vincent and Fairlawn hospitals. He was a Navy veteran of WWII.
Plahm previously had owned Joshua’s Deli in Boston’s financial district for 10 years, closing the business when his landlord sold the building. He graduated from Johnson & Wales University in Providence and holds a Biotechnology Bachelor’s Degree from Rochester Institute of Technology in New York. At the time he graduated from Rochester Institute, Plahm said there was a recession and PhD’s were getting the jobs. “I always liked to cook and had worked in fast food places when I was younger, so I decided to switch gears. “Things have worked out,” he said. After graduating from Johnson & Wales, Plahm worked corporate food service before buying the Boston deli.
Marvin’s Corner Lunch Diner serves all-day breakfast and lunch, with classic diner food. Hours are 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday; 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday; Closed Tuesday. Call (508) 762-9574. Takeout and delivery (DoorDash, Grubhub). Connect on social media.
Plahm said he wanted to keep things simple when he bought the business. Along the way, he has introduced a few new menu items. One of them, the Ballpark Breakfast Sandwich, includes shaved steak, egg, nacho cheese and spicy hash browns on a bulkie roll. His corned beef hash is popular, he said, and so is the Reuben special, a classic made with corned beef piled on the diner’s seeded rye bread, with Swiss cheese, sauerkraut and Russian dressing, then grilled. Plaham brines his own corned beef.
Leominster residents, Josh and Jennie Plahm have a 14-year-old son, Lucas, who helps at Marvin’s Corner Lunch Diner weekends and school vacations. With diner competition in the city, Plahm said his scratch-made breads help set his business apart from other establishments. Competition is good for all of us, he said.
When Plahm first opened the diner, he said he sometimes had to remind customers, “I’m not Charlie (former owner).” As chef, he said he’s flexible and accommodates customers with special food requests whenever he can. He enjoys operating a family-owned business in the city and the diner’s hours help him maintain a good work-life balance. “I know I’ll always have a job,” said Plahm, smiling.
He proved he’s a chef who knows how to get himself out of a pickle.
If you have a tidbit for the column, call (508) 868-5282. Send email to bhoulefood@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Table Hoppin': Marvin's Corner Lunch's pickle bread a popular favorite
