You may be able to count the number of menu items at Alex Warner's own restaurant, Cheeseburger Randy's, on one hand, but it’s a great hand. So if he’s letting someone else feed him, y’all better pay attention to where he approves.

FEATURING: ELBERTA SANDWICH COMPANY

About a quarter mile from OWA, you’ll find a nondescript storefront that makes fully customizable sandwiches that are anything but plain. The pandemic cost Heidi Rogers her 16-year preschool job, her husband his dolphin cruise and parasail work. What to do? Open a restaurant. They’ve never looked back from serving loaded, toasted sandwiches with fresh sliced meat, homemade bread and, always, a pickle on the side.

What makes Elberta Sandwich Company special is the service. They hand-write tickets to get your custom order right. They’ll get to know your family, what you’re going through.

“Every restaurant will take your order, take your money and make your food,” as Alex says. “It’s what you do in that.”

Episode One of Taste Budz with Alex Warner is live at
www.GulfCoastMedia.com/Taste and on all our socials.

Kayla Green, Taste Magazine: How did you find out about Elberta Sandwich Company?

Alex Warner, Cheeseburger Randy’s: I’m not really sure how I found out about them, to be honest. My mother lives across County Road 20 from them, but I didn’t go until one day I was craving a sandwich and really didn’t want Jimmy John’s. Maybe we met at Cheeseburger Randy’s. I have no idea anymore. I just know she’s awesome.

Taste: Why did you want to feature her?

AW: The second I met Heidi, I just fell in love with her energy and her personality. She is so fun and such a light. I like doing things with people who like doing things for others. She does that almost too much!

Taste: What did you eat, and how was it?

AW: I ate the same thing I always get because she wanted to make it for me: the fully dressed, toasted Italian.

Taste: What’s the most unique thing you’ve learned about Heidi or her place?

AW: Well, there are two things. One, that she has a hood but won’t add a fryer! Hoods are the HVAC system that allows you to have flat tops and fryers. It’s almost what I base locations off of, if they have one or not. She has one and doesn’t use it, and it drives me crazy, and she knows it drives me crazy! It’s a joke between us because I want fries with sandwiches, and I don’t know why it’s not a go-to for sandwich companies.

Two, it’s that her building just keeps going and going and going. It’s like the Energizer Bunny but for square footage.

Taste: What’s your no-skip order?

AW: My go-to is the toasted Italian, fully dressed. It’s bad-ass and amazing every time. But if I was to get something else, it would be the French dip, “fo sho.” It’s so good.

Taste: You talk often about how important it is to have access to a variety of cuisine – “tastes” if you will – for any area to thrive. How do you think the health of a dining scene makes or breaks a community? And no, not nutritionally.

AW: I think food is directly correlated to creation and growth and can be an immersive experience. I mean people literally plan entire trips around where they are going to eat. Big cities are fun because  there are so many culinary and cultural experiences you get to have outside of your normal day-to-day.

To read more from Taste magazine, go to www.gulfcoastmedia.com/taste.