Our Story
Like so many good things, Yummy Yummy started with a couple who didn't have much but were willing to work for everything. What began as a way to put food on our own table turned into a place where thousands of families have gathered around theirs.
Where It All Began
Brooklyn, 1996
In 1996, we opened a small restaurant on a busy block in Brooklyn. We were newly married, had almost no savings, and barely spoke English. What we did have was a knowledge of cooking passed down through generations, and the belief that if the food was good enough, people would come back.
Those early years were tough. We worked seven days a week, often fourteen-hour days. One of us cooked while the other took orders and washed dishes. There was no staff, no days off, and no safety net. But every regular who walked through the door, every repeat order called in by name, told us we were on the right track.
Brooklyn taught us something we carry to this day: it doesn't matter how nice your restaurant looks or how clever the marketing is. If the food isn't worth coming back for, nothing else matters. So we focused on that. We tested recipes over and over until we got them right, and once they were right, we never changed them.
A few years in, we started thinking about the future. Brooklyn was exciting but it was expensive, and the neighborhood was getting harder to raise a family in. We had our first child on the way and wanted something quieter, somewhere we could build a life that would last.
Make delicious recipes that bring people and families together around the dining table.
Our Home
Bellmawr, NJ — Since 2001
We found Bellmawr almost by accident. A friend of a friend mentioned a spot on the Black Horse Pike that had just opened up. We drove down, looked at the space, and signed the lease that same week. It felt right. The town was small enough that you could get to know your neighbors, but busy enough that a restaurant could survive.
Starting over in a new town meant earning trust from scratch. For the first few months, business was slow. But we kept doing what worked in Brooklyn: cook everything fresh, keep the portions honest, and treat every customer the way you'd treat a guest in your own home. Word got around. One family told another, and before long, we had regulars who came in two or three times a week.
Some of those same regulars still come in today, more than 25 years later. A few of them have told us they first ate here as kids, sitting in a booster seat while their parents ordered. Now they bring their own children. That kind of thing is hard to put into words. It means more to us than any review or award ever could.
Through all of it, we haven't changed the things that actually matter. We are still the same husband-and-wife team. We still cook with the same recipes. We still know most of our regulars by name. And we still believe that the food should speak for itself.
Our kids grew up in this restaurant. They did homework in the back, helped fold takeout boxes, and learned early on what it means to work hard for something. This place isn't just a business to us. It's where our family grew up, and it's where we've watched so many other families grow up too.
Bellmawr is our home. We're proud to be part of this community, and we're grateful to every customer who has walked through our door over the years. We don't take that for granted.
Family Owned · Community Rooted · Since 2001