Nancy Miller with Nearly Famous Deli & Pasta House

Nearly Famous Deli & Pasta House (2708 S. Glenstone Ave., Springfield, MO, 417-883-3403) is well-known for its Deli Tomato Soup and egg salad sandwiches, but it’s best known for its owner, Nancy Miller. Nineteen years ago, after losing her job in the stainless-steel manufacturing industry, Miller bought the restaurant from its original owners. Since then, she has created a warm atmosphere where both customers and staff feel like family. “I love to see my customers enjoying what they nourish their bodies with,” Miller says. “Food builds relationships and getting to be part of that just makes you happy.”

As a business owner, Miller aims to lead by example. “Be kind and appreciate what your staff does for you and your customers,” she says. “My staff knows that I will help with any task, from busing a table to washing dishes, fixing plumbing to mending chairs. But we also have fun!”—Jordan Blomquist

Miller bought Nearly Famous Deli & Pasta House 19 years ago in February 2006. At the time, she was stepping into ownership of a dining institution that already been in business a full 30 years. It originally opened in 1976 in a location near Plaza Tower.

Just three and a half months later, a fire caused the restaurant to close down, and three and a half months after that Miller re-opened it in its current location in the Brentwood Shopping Center. While the fire was devastating, the restaurant’s newer location has a certain charm that makes diners feel at home. That’s partly due to warm brick walls, the original structural brick of the building, that lend a sense of history to the comfy, cozy space.

Since those early days, Miller has cultivated a Cheers-like atmosphere where guests feel welcomed and seen, and multiple generations of families have become regulars. Miller has gotten to know those regulars over the years and has been there with them to celebrate life’s big moments and its tragedies. She says she has catered beloved customers’ weddings and baby showers, and comforted others through the loss of a significant other. “I’ve had customers that have come in with their husband or wife, then they’ve lost them and they can’t come back in because it’s too hard,” Miller says. “Or they do come back in because this is their happy place and this brings back a great memory for them. It’s pretty amazing to feel that and be part of it.”

That support stretches out into the community too. Miller participates in a program that allows her to display pieces by local artists, and Miller chooses not to keep any commission from the sale of their work. Miller’s restaurant is also packed with longtime employees. Donna Hawkins is a server who’s been there 35 years. Joe Slaughter has been on staff for 21 years. And Dan Brown is comparatively a newbie with his eight years at Nearly Famous; he makes the quiches that the restaurant sells out of every day.—Katie Pollock Estes