A Big
‘Dill’ Airpark’s Mr. Pickles plans to launch in the Valley
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By Justin Liggin
rowing up in Downey, California — the birthplace of the Apollo space program — Michael Nelson learned to shoot for the stars. He’s sticking with that mantra in August when he introduces Northern California’s Mr. Pickles sandwich shops to the Valley. They are set for Scottsdale and Shea, and Thompson Peak Parkway and Frank Lloyd Wright. Locations in Queen Creek, Laveen, Chandler and Surprise are also in development, as are locations in Central and Southern California. Nelson — the chain’s owner and chief operating officer — recently relocated the headquarters to the Airpark. “The brand is unique in that it doesn’t turn to big-box vendors for its ingredients, instead partnering with artisan bakers, regional farms and ranches to source its products, making every item unique to us,” Nelson says. “You will not see six-inch and foot-long options from us. We’ll have more specialty breads than uniform options.” The Scottsdale locations will feature hot and cold sandwiches, notably the Mr. Pickle, which is chicken breast, bacon, Monterey Jack, avocado and veggies. The menu will also include the Santa Maria tri-tip, which is sourced from the Santa Maria region and topped with specialty barbecue sauce, and Big Jake, a turkey sandwich with cream cheese and avocado. The brand now also has two new sandwiches of note — Listen Linda, named after Nelson’s wife of 36 years, and the Della’s Deli, which honors partner Dean Johnson’s wife.
Michael Nelson, owner and COO of Mr. Pickles, recently relocated the company's headquarters from California to the Airpark. (Dennis Murphy/Contributor)
“And yes, we do have an actual Mr. Pickle — in our logo, as a character, and even on merch available for sale,” Nelson says.
Humble beginnings
Nelson’s father was raised on an Oklahoma farm, where family got together on Sundays after church — no matter what was happening. “To say he took that sentiment with him when he relocated to California and built a life for us would be an understatement, and I am grateful for it every day,” Nelson says. “Hard work and giving back are the pillars in which I’ve built my life.” Nelson began working as a student at Downey High School, earning a job in a market’s meat department. “I know what you are thinking,” Nelson says. “You are thinking this is where I explain this is where the seeds for my love of sandwiches came from. And while you wouldn’t be wrong, that market is even more important than that. It happens to be where I fell in love.” While slicing in the meat department, Nelson noticed fellow Downey High School
student Linda Landry, who was a cashier. “I still do not know how, but with some persistence I got her to go out with me,” Nelson says. “Yes, we were high school sweethearts. We even went to prom together.” Upon graduating, the pair stayed together even though Landry was headed to the University of Southern California to pursue a film career and Nelson continued his work as a meat cutter at a Ralph’s grocery store. After leaving Ralph’s, Nelson got his first taste of restaurant management in 1986 with Giuliano’s, a chain of restaurants and delicatessens in the Los Angeles area. “Again, I still do not know how, but five years into our relationship — at which time she was graduated and working in film as a special effects movie producer and I was working at Giuliano’s — Linda agreed to marry me,” says Nelson. Four years after tying the knot in 1986 in front of more than 250 family and friends in Whittier, California, Nelson began another successful partnership, this time with older brother John. “Carl’s Jr. was just starting to franchise loca-
JULY 2022 / SCOTTSDALE AIRPARK NEWS /
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