This story was written by Kenton Hornbeck with LINK nky and is republished here with permission.
A meal is often at the center of holiday celebrations. For many families, the centerpiece of the meal is a meat or poultry, whether that’s beef, chicken, lamb or duck.
With Christmas and New Year’s Eve right around the corner, Rump & Roll owner Tavis Rockwell is beefing up his store’s offerings in anticipation of the holidays.
“I’m just trying to get the word out there of what we have to offer, especially in the holiday season,” Rockwell said. “I brought in a lot of nice meats.”
Rump & Roll, located at 526 Sixth Ave. in Dayton, Kentucky, opened on Oct. 1. Rockwell is a career restaurateur, having overseen LouVino’s five restaurants in Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio, including the Over-the-Rhine location in Cincinnati. After the COVID-19 pandemic, Rockwell exited the industry, working instead as a restaurant consultant.
Eventually, the industry drew him back in, as it had always been a personal goal of his to open a deli. When a space in downtown Dayton opened in early 2025, Rockwell jumped at the opportunity.
Rump & Roll faced its first holiday test during the country’s largest meal-centric holiday: Thanksgiving. Rump & Roll didn’t offer turkeys at the time, as Rockwell felt the upfront investment would be too much for a brand-new restaurant, but they did offer a diverse assortment of pies and sides to bolster people’s holiday meals.
Now, Rockwell is stocking his arsenal for Christmas. Rump & Rolls’ grab-and-go is replenished with pies, soups, and sides, such as braised greens, roasted red potatoes, green bean casserole, cheese balls, pimento cheese, and more. Rockwell expressed his hope to help families save time when preparing holiday meals.
“I love that people who just come in and they can grab a roast; they can go over to my grab-and-go and get potatoes that I’ve already cooked for them, or a cheese ball or even chicken stock that they can make their own soups with,” he said. “Just providing something that just makes their time a little easier so they can spend more time with their families.”
Now, let’s get down to brass tacks; what meats are people ordering for their holiday meals? From the perspective of Rump & Roll’s head butcher, Kevin Klein, anything and everything.
“Tenderloin, rib eyes, flank steaks — the rods have been really popular — stew meat; during the holiday, lamb, a big one for the holiday,” Klein said. “We brought pretty much everything in that you could use for the holiday.”
Rockwell stated that Rump & Roll sources its meats from Cincinnati’s Chef’s Warehouse, a specialty food supplier for restaurants. The meats mainly originate from Allen Brothers in Chicago, while its poultry comes from places like Maple Leaf Farms in Indiana.
For Rockwell, the most enriching aspect of running a small community deli is contributing to many families’ holidays — something he believes will help the community become familiar with Rump & Roll.
“I just am enjoying being able to contribute to the community and be a part of it, really,” he said. “I want to keep enriching the community and grow this and showcase what we’re capable of.”
This article includes reporting from LINK nky’s Maggy McDonel.