South Florida is a foodie town. We like to eat, so when we heard we were getting a taste of California in the Sunshine State, Deco headed out hungry for a story and a sandwich.
Here’s something you can sink your teeth into.
Ike’s Love and Sandwiches has brought a little bit of California to Aventura.
Johnnie Green, owner: “Ike’s Love and Sandwiches is an amazing sub shop that originated on the West Coast. This Ike’s is real special because we’re the first one on the East Coast.”
So, why should you like Ike’s?
The man behind the brand jumped on a Zoom call to fill us in on how he fills us up.
Ike Shehadeh, founder: “We are sauce-centric, bread-centric, and we use high-quality other ingredients on the inside. For me, the focus is on flavor.”
Ike is a sauce boss. All of his sandwiches have different sauces that add bursts of flavor to each bite.
Jennifer Rijo, customer: “It’s really good. It’s perfect. The sauce is beautiful.”
They say man can’t live off bread alone. Ike begs to differ.
Ike Shehadeh: “We’ve got something called Dutch bread. We don’t really see it outside of northern California. The bread is a soft bread, but also with a rice flower, sesame paste, sugar crust on top.”
Jennifer Rijo: “It’s like a perfect crunch and it’s a little, kind of, sweet.”
Ike’s Love and Sandwiches has more than 50 stores and dozens of different sandwiches, and they’ve mastered making each store special.
Nothing says South Florida like “Miami Vice.”
Tubbs and Crockett took a bite out of crime back in the ’80s, and here, you can bite into sandwiches named after them.
Johnnie Green: “The Tubbs is a vegan sandwich. It comes with vegan chicken fingers, provolone cheese, green ranch sauce. The Crockett is a fried chicken sandwich that also comes with green ranch and provolone.”
Hungry fans of Mr. 305 will love the sandwich called No, I’m Not Pitbull.
Ike Shehadeh: “The Pitbull one, that’s fried chicken, purple slaw, our award-winning barbecue sauce, and that one is pretty messy and amazing.”
There’s a vegetarian version of the Pitbull, called the Moonlight. It’s named after the Oscar-winning movie shot right here in Miami.
No matter which one you pick, all of Ike’s sandwiches come from the heart.
Ike Shehadeh: “I say you are paying for the love, and we give you the sandwich for free with the love, but that’s what Ike’s is.”
FOR MORE INFO:
Ike’s Love and Sandwiches Aventura
18719 Biscayne Blvd., Suite 310
Aventura, FL 33180
305-974-2404
www.loveandsandwiches.com
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.