Sarasota Arts & Culture Magazine - September/October 2007 - (Page 44)

6-26-06 5-16-06 different flavors and combinations. So we started playing around in the kitchen and before we knew it we had dozens of combinations.” But that was just the easy part. “Me and Purchasing—we’re joined at the hip. I check out every ingredient and make sure we have the right ones. Like, we have five different suppliers for our breads and even more for our meats. They each come from some place else and they’re the best there is. We already have 1300 stores under contract. We opened one a week in August and we should have 20 or 30 operating by the end of the year.” So, with all the care Rhode takes in making sure he has the finest ingredients and the most delicious combinations, how does he have confidence in 1300 different Dagwood Sandwich Shoppes carrying out his exacting orders? “We train them before they open. Training is everything.” And suppose one of the sandwich masters in one of the shops comes up with something creative on his own? “I’d kill ‘em if I found ‘em bein’ creative.” (Probably sic Daisy on ‘em…) Seriously, Rhodes is serious. “We have very strict standards. No variance, ‘cause what we have is too good to mess with. We developed all this in a very secretive process. We’ve tasted 25 or 30 different types of turkey. Our rye bread comes from a special bakery in Michigan. Our pickles have snap. If it don’t got no snap, it’s got no business on a 44 : : arts and culture magazine sandwich. We have the best selling Hot Pressed Cuban sandwich in all of Florida. It’s a Tampa Bay-style Cuban with pork loin, ham, salami, Swiss cheese, snappy pickles, mayo and mustard pressed on the best Cuban bread you ever had. I use the finest mayonnaise there is. They complain ‘cause it’s the best stuff available, so it’s not always easy to come by, but it’s worth it.” The menu boasts countless subs: rare roast beef, turkey avocado, BBQ chicken, chicken-bacon classic. Some may say subs can become so doughy, you miss the goodness inside. But Rhode is Sub-rosy. “We tried all different kinds of breads and kept saying, ‘too bready, too bready,’ until we finally fixed the problem. We dictate the exact width, length, thickness and weight of the dough. And, most important, we have really meaty sandwiches. It’s all in the details,” he vows. (Dagwood applauds and returns to his nap on the couch.) So, if you’re looking for something to tame that hankering for a real sandwich, head for the nearest Dagwood’s. “We have ‘em open in Palm Harbor, Largo, Gulf Breeze, West Palm, and Destin this September” says Young. And how about Sarasota? “It’s in the works. Our Sarasota Location is opening in Lakewood Ranch This October!” Dagwood’s Sandwich Shoppe is located in San Marco Plaza in Lakewood Ranch, at 829 Natures Way, Suite #115, Bradenton, FL 34202. For more information or directions call 727.488.4573.

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Sarasota Arts & Culture Magazine - September/October 2007

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