Yelp ranks desert deli No. 4 in the nation

A family run bakery and deli in Indio known for its healthy menu choices was named the fourth-best place in the country to eat, according to a Yelp ranking released Thursday.

TKB Bakery & Deli, 44911 Golf Center Parkway, serves up favorites such as its Mexican meatloaf and its chicken salad sandwich on jalapeno-focaccia bread from its expansive menu and also makes products sold in Gelson’s and Jensen’s grocery stores.

But at the heart of the business is its bakery — specifically its cookie dough.

The business run by siblings Brandon, Melina and Nathan Sippel is the outgrowth of a school fundraiser. Their mother, Athena, a pastry chef, started making a healthier, tastier cookie dough for school fundraisers about 20 years ago, and the kids started selling the stuff door-to-door, continually improving products and adding new ones.

The storefront operation started in 1991, focusing on healthy products “because we’re all healthy,” Brandon Sippel said. The bakery specializes in no-sugar, gluten-free muffins, scones and cookies.

Though he admitted he and his siblings had been “ahead of the curve” in promoting the TKB — it stands for The Kids’ Business — via social media, he was unaware of the No. 4 ranking until about noon on Thursday.

Promoting the business via Yelp and other social media has helped grow TKB, he said. Increased business — from Coachella Valley residents as well as travelers lured off Interstate 10 — has helped TKB expand its hours and open on Saturdays.

After five years in business “we took over the whole building,” he said, doubling TKBs footprint to about 4,000 square feet.

The only other California eatery ranked among Yelp’s top five was Copper Top BBQ in Big Pine in the Owens Valley.