California Dreamin'

In the last seven days, I have inhaled six of these ridiculously messy, incredibly gigantic, fabulously gratifying sandwiches from California Sandwiches and thought it befitting to blog about this local family-owned and -operated business, which I only recently stumbled upon but which has been in existence since 1967.

The very first shop opened its doors in Toronto's Little Italy not long after the Papa/Bertucci family discovered that their grocery store's homemade sandwiches had been bringing in more clients for lunch than for groceries, and since that time, this family establishment has expanded to 12 locations across the Greater Toronto Area, the newest one having just opened in the heart of downtown Toronto at the crossroads of Yonge and College.

I don't just like these sandwiches; I am in love with them. California Sandwiches is my new go-to place for lunch, dinner, and any craving in between. Their concept is simple: a menu of seven varieties of sandwiches (veal, chicken, eggplant, meatball, sausage, steak, and veggie), all made with the same daily baked kaiser bun and signature Italian ground tomato sauce, with your choice of seven toppings (jalapeño peppers, sautéed onions, sweet peppers, rapini, mushrooms, mixed veggies, and provolone cheese) and level of intensity (sweet, medium, or hot). The result? A heavenly culinary creation that will have you salivating and coming back time and again.