06/02/2026
Thank you to everyone who followed along with our Nell’s 🍒 anniversary trivia contest as we celebrated our 7th anniversary. You have really been paying attention!
Each of the following people has won a $25 Nell’s 🍒 gift card.
Please stop in at the shop at 1018 Jackson Boulevard and let us know you are a winner!
Julie Brunskill Nelson
Melissa Ann
Sherri Flory Weisbeck
Sally Beaird Heberlein & Marlene McMillan 💕
Jane Brady
Tracie Rodriguez Cassidy
Liza Witcamp
Q. How did Nell's present the fresh made meals in the early days?
A. In a takeout basket lined with a cheery bandana! Hot food was sent out in a covered Pyrex casserole — all of this at no charge. Customers returned the basket and casserole dish the next time they stopped in. Remarkably, this worked well for the first couple of years and people did mostly return our baskets and casserole dishes. It didn't work to scale to a larger customer base so when we made the move to the new kitchen on Jackson Boulevard, we left the baskets and casserole dishes behind. We love bandanas so much that we sell them in our shop!
Q. Where did Nell's begin operations?
A. My first commercial kitchen and take out restaurant and bakery was at 1227 Mount Rushmore Road, the location where we now teach cooking classes.
(Some of you knew I had been personal cheffing out of my home for a couple of years before that. It hadn't occurred to me yet to name the business Nell's!)
Q. What country inspires Marinell when she creates the menu?
A. France, of course!The French set the culinary standard and I've long been inspired by France, starting in college when I studied French for three years and learned about the country from my professor who lived in a Parisian flat every summer. Ooh la la! After several trips to France and many cooking and baking classes plus a culinary course in Burgandy, the inspiration has become an obsession! From the classic French sauces to pastry and technique, I love studying and learning French cuisine.
Q. Who is Nell's named for?
A. I named my business for my mother, Nell — a fantastic home cook and baker who made everything from scratch, even ketchup (which I didn't really appreciate!) My Mom was the best example of creativity and resourcefulness. She grew up on a homestead in eastern Montana and a ranch at Boneita Springs, SD, and knew how to make something lovely from whatever materials she had. She and my Dad grew a big garden and worked together to cook, can and freeze whatever they grew. She liked a pretty presentation at the table, loved china and fancy serve ware, and especially loved creating beautiful things for the people she loved. She would be so tickled to know this business shares her name! 😊 (Special shout out to two winners who played the cousin card. 😘 They, too, knew my Mom was a fantastic cook!)
Q. Marinell was cooking for Rapid City long before Nell's opened. In what way/how?
A. I started by cooking for a friend -- Carol! ⭐— who introduced me to her friends, and they told two friends, and they told two friends...
Q. What is Nell's signature phrase?
A. Our followers pointed out that we have two signature phrases:
We love cooking for you! 🍒
And: It's a lovely day today!
Q. Before Marinell opened the first shop, how did customers get their food?
A. She delivered it to them!
