Ballarat’s best new thing since sliced bread

The man who invented sandwiches is the namesake behind Ballarat’s newest foodie offering – Earls Deli.

Joshua Wood, Teddy Powlett, Drew Harry and Liam Downes have joined forces to open this downtown sandwich and coffee shop at the base of the Nightingale apartment building in Davey Street.

We recently spoke to the fab four about their sanga story…

What inspired you to open a sandwich bar in Ballarat?

“We felt there was a hole in the market for a gourmet sandwich and coffee spot at this end of town.

And we trialled a lot of ‘to go’ menu items at Ragazzone over the lockdown periods and they were a huge hit.

We were approached by the Nightingale developer (Hygge Property) about taking on the space quite early in the project.

We think they wanted something to service the residents of Nightingale but we had aspirations of opening the precinct up to the general public.”

The burning question – who is Earl?

“The Earl of Sandwich, John Montagu, was the first man to ‘invent’ the sandwich, after being hungry and placing a selection of meats between two slices of bread.

Our branding guru (Steve Abbott from StudioAco) alerted us to this and we had a great giggle and it stuck from there.”

In your humble opinion, what makes a good sandwich?

“Good bread (ours is from 1816 Bakehouse) with a thick cut, chewy crust and delicious filling that isn’t over complicated. Our chefs Zak and Liam nail the sauces too.

Lastly, a bit of mess never hurts! You know you’ve had a great sandwich when you taste it 20 minutes later on your top lip.”

Talk us through some of the kick-ass sandwiches we’ll be seeing on the menu…

“It will rotate consistently, but the sausage and egg muffin for breakfast is elite.

We’ve got a fresh roast chicken and salad with tarragon dressing, a curried egg salad sandwich (Teddy’s favourite) and a range of hot sandwiches like the meatball sub (a Ragazzone collaboration) and the infamous chicken schnitzel sandwich.”

Will you be showcasing local produce in your sangas?

“Of course. Our bread is from 1816 Bakehouse, meats from Sinclair Meats and Salt Kitchen Charcuterie, and our milk and butter is from Inglenook Dairy.”

What else can we buy at Earls?

“Coffee, bread, butter, milk and other goods will be available for residents and passersby and hopefully some local vino from Wayward Winery.

Ideally, we are looking to offer a drive-by service, so once you’re close and driving through the street, we can run your order out to you if you’re in a hurry.

We are also looking at delivery and catering options.”

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Earls Deli is now open at 11 Davey Street, Ballarat.

Get your sandwich fix Wednesday–Friday 7.30am-2pm, Saturdays 8am-2pm, and Sundays 8am-1pm.