By Jeff Ditchek

The Andes General Store opened again after a long hibernation. And, like a  hibernation, it was simply a long pause in the evolution of what turns out to be a wonderful establishment. A bit of the back story. On Veteran’s Day, my wife Maria tells me that the Andes General Store was open. “How do you know?” I ask, –  “Facebook of course,” the look on her face tells me in no uncertain terms.

So I grab a letter I was going to place in my mailbox at the foot of the road but decide to hand deliver it to the unnamed Andes Post Office (by the way, in all my travels, the only PO in the country that does not have the name of the town it services) so as to pass the Andes General Store and drop in for a cup of coffee.

Coffee is good and right up in the front of the store. I introduce myself to Z, the owner, Amy, the manager and Jeff, the guy behind the cash register (do they still call them that?) We chat and I asked Z, “Will you be making pizza?” She points to the pizza circling in its bin and my face lights up. My excitement led to Z offering me a free slice, and, without hesitation, I accepted. Just looking at the crust I knew it was a winner. If you want pizza, the AGS is the place to go.

OK, the back story is over and I just came back from the AGS for lunch with my wife. What else is there to say? We liked it; the service is great and all is good.

Andes finally has a general store that has the feel of a small town atmosphere with food and service that will bring you back time and time again.

Z, thanks for the holiday present and keep up the good work.

(Hours: Mon-Fri, 7 am to 6 pm, weekends 8 am to 6 pm)~