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4A | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21, 2021 | APPEAL TRIBUNE Salem’s sandwich heroes Throughout the pandemic, this humble meal has sustained us many times Emily Teel Salem Statesman Journal | USA TODAY NETWORK More than a year into some level of coronavirus restrictions on res- taurant service, take-out is more important than ever before and portability has become a favorable attribute for many a restaurant meal. h Through the pandemic, the humble sandwich has stead- fastly sustained us. h Car meals, porch picnics, and suppers solo, the tried and true all-in-one meal has offered us comfort and consis- tency in the form of loaded carbo- hydrates in a time of so much un- certainty. h What follows is a sa- lute to some of Salem’s sandwich makers, those who have kept us fed this year with tortas, subs, boxed lunches, and Dagwood- worthy stacks, even as they pivot- ed from reliable customer bases. As the restaurant industry weath- ered the storm of the pandemic, Salem’s sandwich heroes have continued to offer us sustenance along the way. The Newcomer: El Sazon de Mi Casa Don’t forget to ask for a stack of nap- kins for a visit to Keizer food cart El Sa- zon de Mi Casa. Sisters Marta and Vilma Chan opened the business last October along with Vilma’s partner Christian Franco. The cart’s primary sandwich artist, Franco slings burritos, tacos, and que- sadillas, but it’s El Sazon’s tortas that have put it on the map. The reason for the extra napkins? These tortas are absolute units, loaded with multiple types of meat. The Fuego is stuffed with marinated pork, bacon, habanero, pineapple and two kinds of cheese; while the Salvaje includes mari- nated beef, hot dog, breaded chicken, mozzarella, tomatoes and lettuce. Tender telera rolls barely contain the abundant fillings. There’s a gluttonous exuberance to them and a caloric densi- ty that could satisfy the intense hunger of athletic exertion, a day of yard work, or a spring cleaning marathon. Where: 4415 River Rd N Keizer Phone: (503) 507-8738 Information: @El Sazon de Mi Casa (Facebook) Vaccine Joshua Anderson with Valiant Sandwich prepares to go orders. ABIGAIL DOLLINS/STATESMAN JOURNAL The Hidden Gem: Little Lois Cafe Before the pandemic, most of Little Lois Cafe’s business came from making boxed lunches for city workers. The cafe, which is tucked away in the same West Salem business complex as Xicha Brewing, ferried deliveries all over town, primarily to businesses and govern- ment buildings. Owners Rex and Lois Robertson have spent years honing the customer ser- vice model of their sandwich shop to ac- commodate contracts like these, offer- ing an online group ordering platform for individuals to customize orders in one delivery. You may have seen their red vehicles, branded with a cartoon caricature of Lois, driving around town. But when so many of their clients shifted to a work-from-home model, the cafe was forced to pivot.They began of- fering the same delivery service to peo- ple at home. The upside is that a whole new group of diners have gotten to experience Lit- tle Lois’ sandwiches. The menu is most- ly tried-and-true combinations, thoughtfully assembled. There’s Albacore tuna salad with sweet pickles, a BLT with avocado, and a roasted chicken breast with bacon, Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato and ranch dressing. Visit the cafe itself, and the business also offers a menu of hot sandwiches unavailable for delivery. There’s a French dip, a hot reuben, and “The Real- ly Good Chicken Sandwich,” roasted chicken on toasted sourdough with ba- con, artichoke spread and balsamic vin- egar. There’s nothing you haven’t seen be- fore, but that’s part of what makes Little Lois so enjoyable; it’s the diner basics done well. Where: 576 Patterson St NW STE 110 Phone: (503) 362-8422 Information: littleloiscafe.com The Classic: Cozzie’s NY Deli Fat stacks of pastrami, cappicola, or corned beef on marble rye, Cozzie’s NY Deli is Salem’s only proper deli, the clos- est you’re gonna get to a When Harry Met Sally sandwich experience in the cherry city. Whether you call it a hoagie, a sub, a grinder or, as owner Dave Cozzie does, a wedge, these are sandwiches loaded The chicken cutlet sandwich at Cozzie’s NY Deli in Salem, on Jan. 19. BRIAN HAYES/STATESMAN JOURNAL with the flavors found in the largely Ital- ian and Jewish delis of East Coast cities. Cozzie moved to Oregon from Con- necticut in the late ‘90s. Missing the sandwiches he sustained himself on while working as an audio engineer, he and his wife Deborah opened Cozzie’s in an industrial pocket of Salem near The Hoop. A frequent stop for industrial and construction workers, the business saw major changes to their customer base as the pandemic sent workers packing. Cozzie credits the Chamber of Com- merce’s Facebook page Salem Eats for introducing the business to a new audi- ence. Sandwich fans have flocked to try Cozzie’s version of a meatball sub, a chicken cutlet, a reuben and The Gaba- gool (capicola, Genoa salami, mortadel- la and provolone with pickle paste and roasted sweet red peppers). Where: 3723 Fairview Industrial Drive Phone: 503-990-7913 Information: cozziesnydeli.com The Visionary: Valiant the Sandwich A rotating menu, seasonal specials and artisan ingredients are features one might expect at a trendy bistro, but at a sandwich shop? That’s exactly what you’ll find at Valiant the Sandwich. Before he opened Valiant a year ago on Pringle Park Plaza, Joshua Anderson was most recently the chef of Avid Ci- der’s Pearl District taphouse and helped develop the pizza recipes at Gilgamesh Brewing’s Independence restaurant, The River. His goal for Valiant was to offer a fo- cus on flavor and attention to detail, even applied to something as casual as a sandwich. The concept made Valiant a runaway favorite among Salem diners who flocked to try sandwiches with clever, punny names, unexpected com- binations and top shelf ingredients. The Self-Titled Turkey is roast turkey breast, housemade tomato-basil jam, herbed goat cheese, arugula and toma- to. The Banh Mi-ish combines seared pork belly confit, Olympia Provisions paté, house-pickled carrots and jalape- nos, cucumber, cilantro, and spicy ta- mari mayo on a toasted bolillo roll. An- derson has also made fans among those trying to eat less meat, offering meat- free and vegan sandwiches that are just as thoughtfully assembled as the rest. Don’t miss the biscuit-based breakfast sandwiches, potentially the best in Sa- lem. Just when you think you’ve tried ev- ery sandwich in Anderson’s arsenal, he changes it up and adds something new. Where: 315 High St SE, Pringle Park Plaza Phone: 503-689-1821 Information: valianteats.com viral test. You may test positive on some antibody tests, which indicate you had a previous infection. Continued from Page 3A National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, in an April USA Today article. “But it won’t happen until the summer at the earliest, and all this depends on getting the B.1.1.7 variant (first identified in the U.K.) under control and expanding vac- cination coverage.” More than 700,000 Oregonians have been fully vaccinated so far. Oregon offi- cials identified 168 cases as of April 2 in which vaccinated individuals tested positive for the virus more than two weeks after their final dose. Three of those people died. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control is trying to debunk myths about the vac- cines. According to the CDC: h You should be vaccinated even if you already had COVID-19, because ex- perts don’t know how long immunity from the illness lasts. If you were treat- ed with monoclonal antibodies or con- valescent plasma, you should wait 90 days before getting the vaccine. h There is currently no evidence that COVID-19 vaccination causes any fertil- ity problems or problems with pregnan- cy. h COVID-19 vaccines do not change or interact with your DNA in any way. h Getting a COVID-19 vaccine won’t make you test positive for COVID-19 on a How is Oregon fighting vaccine hesitancy? The Oregon Health Authority is run- ning targeted public education and ad- vertisements to increase vaccine confi- dence, including in rural areas, OHA’s Hernández said. One campaign, “Oregon COVID-19 Vaccine Information” is running ads on Facebook, Pinterest, Reddit, Quora, WebMD and other websites. “The campaign is aimed at increasing vaccine confidence, testifying to the safety and effectiveness of the vaccines, framing vaccination as a path back to the people, places, and things we love, and affirming that it’s OK to have ques- tions — demystifying the vaccination process by sharing stories of normal folks (including non-urban areas) who have chosen to get vaccinated and why,” Hernández said. Oregon also is holding special clinics to reach people who might face barriers to getting the vaccine, including those with a mistrust of government. For example, during April, OHA iwill partner with FEMA and Morrow and Malheur counties to hold a series of vac- cine clinics for migrant and seasonal farmworkers in Boardman, Irrigon and Heppner. Lincoln County held vaccine clinics People wait in line to receive their COVID-19 vaccine at the Oregon State Fairgrounds. ABIGAIL DOLLINS / STATESMAN JOURNAL focused on reaching seafood, agricul- tural, fish processing and seasonal and migrant workers. “While OHA remains a trusted source of accurate information for providers and the community, we also acknowl- edge the historical mistrust within some communities toward governmental public health authorities. That’s why we are working with and supporting trust- ed community partners with outreach,” Hernández said. “We’re connecting our experts direct- ly with communities through activities like Facebook live events, weekly com- munity webinars, and ongoing presen- tations in partnership with trusted community organizations. That will continue as we move forward with the rollout,” she said. Tracy Loew is a reporter at the Statesman Journal. She can be reached at tloew@statesmanjournal.com, 503- 399-6779 or on Twitter at @Tracy_Loew .
