Ellie and Judie: Dynamic Duo

Ellie Tennyson and Judy Delaney have worked together at the Louis Café since its opening in 2006. For Deerfield students, the duo has become practically synonymous with the cafe itself.

“We like working together. We are a good team,” Judy stated.

Before working in the Koch, they both worked in various locations on campus. Judy started in the kitchen and then moved to laundry, and Ellie started in the Greer and then started to work in the kitchen as well.

“We didn’t know each other until starting here,” Judy recalled. Now the two of them work together every day.

Ellie said, “Because we are seen coming and going together all the time, lots of people assume we are gay. We just live near each other so we carpool!”

Running the cafe, Ellie and Judy spend a lot of time together; and like all great teams, they have their “quiet moments,” as Judy called them.

“It’s a lot of work in a small space,” Judy said.

Ellie added, “Sometimes when we get in a disagreement it’s just because we’re hungry!”

Both their fathers served in the Air Force, and although Ellie has yet to confirm actual dates, she said, “At one point, I think that [our fathers] served together at Westover Air Force base in Chicopee and at Kollmorgan in Northampton.”

Judy added, “My father worked in the flight crew and Ellie’s worked in the office.”

Ellie and Judy each have two children. Ellie’s two boys are 30 and 21; and Judy has a boy and a girl, 26 and 24.

When Ellie’s not on campus, she likes “to fish, bike, and garden.” Judy likes “to kayak and be outside,” and she also enjoys birdwatching.

Judy added, “We both have vegetable gardens and we both don’t care for winter.”

To the latter, Ellie nodded her head in agreement. “I’m looking forward to spring,” she said. She is eager to get back to her happy place, which is fishing on the river.

Judy said, “Aruba is my happy place.” She continued, “I like to snorkel when I’m [there], but my closer-to-home happy place is Pittsburgh, NH. It’s on the border of Canada, and that is where I like to kayak.”

As Ellie and Judy eagerly anticipate spring, they will continue to fend off the winter cold at home with their wood-burning stoves. At work they may even enjoy one of their Cafe specialities, like the Peppermint Hot Cocoa or the bestselling DA Bagel.