Dagwoods deli opens to serve locals

Shortly after they started dating, Milton residents Terry Bratton and Patty Scanio realized they had a similar dream: To open a local deli.

They hit some speed bumps along the way, but they finally found the perfect location in Milton's Paynter's Mill, where they have opened a family-friendly deli with a vintage twist.

“The idea here is to have a deli where we can incorporate our meats and cheeses and whatever ingredients we have on hand to construct different meals and different daily specials every day,” Bratton said.

In February, the now married couple opened Dagwoods in a 1,400-square-foot store front just off Route 1. Bratton, a retired steel worker from West Virginia, and Scanio, a St. Louis native who works full time as a nurse, took more than a year to find the right place.

The cozy deli, which seats up to 24 people, specializes in Dietz & Watson meats and cheeses, which the amateur chef and his two-man crew use to create daily specials as well as familiar breakfast, lunch and dinner staples: everything from a traditional turkey sub to a grilled Italian ciabatta sandwich, with cheesesteaks, burgers and Sicilian pizza on the weekends.

“I love to cook. I'm not a trained chef, just a regular old Joe who likes to cook,” Bratton said. “And if something isn't on the menu, just ask. It's like a challenge for us.”

One of Bratton's favorite menu items is the steak pizziola – a chopped angus steak sandwich smothered in pizza sauce, pepperoni, mushrooms and mozzarella cheese.

“We encourage Terry and our cooks to be innovative,” Scanio said as she raved about the day's chicken tortilla soup special.

Since opening last month, the couple has seen 10 gallons of broccoli cauliflower soup sell out in three days, and they say their chicken salad is practically walking out the door.

“If you want comfort food or healthy food, we have those options,” Scanio said. “Everything is fresh.”

Homemade potato chips and savory home fries for breakfast are staples, and the couple hopes to include locally sourced produce as the local growing season picks up. Dagwoods also offers fresh baked goods and the couple hopes to soon offer fresh breads, milk, eggs and other staples that nearby residents could grab on their way home from work.

“We're here for the convenience of the locals,” Bratton said. “This business was not based on tourists, it was based on the locals. We're here year-round, and we're here to supply the locals with their meats. Yes, we'll enjoy having the tourists come in, but we're here for the locals – that's why we're here.”