Argen Duncan
Do Drop In sandwich shop is reopening with a culinary school graduate and a military family at the helm.
The restaurant on Avenue A closed Dec. 12. Previous owner Joann Rackler said she wanted more time, especially since her grandchildren are in Albuquerque.
New owner Kamille Mountjoy said her family always wanted such a business. With her son, Ian, graduating from culinary school at the Art Institute of Atlanta, she could have the shop and keep her job as a customer service representative at Yucca Telecom.
“I want to bring it back to what it used to be, where everyone liked to come and have a good time,” Kamille said.
She expects to open in early April, as soon as her son finishes school, and have a grand opening around April 15.
Kamille said the menu would remain much the same with similar or lower prices. Rackler agreed to teach her the recipes.
“And I’m sure Ian, my son, will have to incorporate something of his in here,” she said.
Also, Kamille said her family would experiment with hours of operation to see what was best, possibly staying open until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 6 p.m. on the weekdays. She expects to try Sunday hours as well.
After reopening the sandwich shop, Kamille hopes to host live music, and sometime in the future, Ian wants to cater on the weekends, she said.
“We want to try to do everything as local as we can to support the economy here,” Kamille said, explaining she wants to use local beef, green chile and cheese.
When the Mountjoys first moved to Portales 1 1/2 years ago, Kamille’s husband, Jon, an airman at Cannon, loved Do Drop In, she said.
“When I told him it was closed, he was bummed,” Kamille said. “Then a light came on in my head, and I thought, ‘I’ve got a kid who could run this.’”
She and her Yucca co-workers missed being able to run across the street for a sandwich or ice cream, too.
The family is excited, she said.
Ian is heading to Portales as soon as he finishes culinary school at the end of the month.
“He can’t wait to get here and get this going,” Kamille said.
Even her 12-year-old daughter, Mikayla, has been trying her hand at making ice cream cones.
The Mountjoys are no strangers to food service.
The family owned a wholesale bakery in Georgia, where Ian worked in high school. Kamille said her son woke up at 4 a.m. to help the baker.
“So he’s used to hard work,” Kamille said.
After the family sold the bakery, Ian continued to make desserts, a talent his mother expects him to employ at Do Drop In with sweets such as tiramisu and cheesecake.
Also, while attending culinary school full time, Ian has been managing a coffee and bagel shop.
Rackler said she’s thrilled the shop is reopening and excited to see what the Mountjoys will do with it.
“I just wish them the best of luck,” she said. “It was a great experience for me, and I’m not sure I miss the business, but I miss the people.”
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