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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21, 2021
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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
.