After quietly opening their doors six weeks ago, owners of the Yellow Deli flung them wide open Sunday with a grand opening celebration on the 35th anniversary of their first Chattanooga establishment.

Complete with Israeli folk dancing, live music, free food and group singing, members of the communal Christian sect the Twelve Tribes welcomed former members, visitors and curious passers by to their new location at 737 McCallie Ave.

“It’s not the same as a high school reunion,” said founding member Pat Sheldon. “It’s a reunion of the heart.”

The original Yellow Deli opened in 1973 on Brainerd Road. For the next decade, the group stirred up controversy and were labeled by many as a cult. By 1984, most members had left Chattanooga and headed to Vermont to start a similar community.

Though their beliefs of communal living, loving all and strict discipline for children have not changed, leaders say this time they believe Chattanooga is ready for them.

“We’ve gotten an overwhelming response from people. We had many, many people asking us to come back,” said Eddie Wiseman, an original Chattanooga member and native of the city. “More people are disillusioned with their traditional Christian experience.”

Drizzly rain slightly delayed Sunday’s eight hours of festivities, but smiling partygoers huddled under umbrellas and bright yellow awnings for cover. When the sky cleared, members young and old grabbed hands in a circle to dance traditional Israeli dances original members first learned at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

The Yellow Deli is well-known for its homemade food, so all day members wandered among the crowd with trays of carrot cake, deli sandwiches, fruit smoothies and mate tea.

Jerry Fitzsimmons and his wife, Peggy, used to frequent the original Brainerd Road Yellow Deli in the 1970s. The LaFayette, Ga., resident said his mouth has been watering for another taste of the food since.

“Their food is second to none,” he said. “I just had a Reuben on rye — it’s to die for.”

Mrs. Fitzsimmons said she was more interested in reuniting with old friends.

“We just really wanted to see some of the people we used to know, and to experience the Yellow Deli again,” she said.

About 5 p.m., leaders cut a ribbon to officially open the deli, which has been operating since April 1.

Thirty-five years after the original group formed, the Twelve Tribes are several thousand strong, Mr. Wiseman said. The group now has spread to more than 50 communities in nine countries, he said.

“We have a 30-year history. We have a whole generation of children now,” he said. “There’s more of a story to tell.”

But despite members’ passionate convictions, diners at the Yellow Deli will never be preached to, Mr. Wiseman said.

“If people come in and we serve them love, joy, peace and good food ... if they ask (about our beliefs), we’ll tell them,” he said. “But if not, we just serve them. No strings attached.”