Chris Henley, The Sandwich King of Pawling

Stroll into Chris’s Deli on Broad Street anytime after opening at 5:00AM, and you will walk into the mystical, magical world of sandwich making. You have only to peruse his illustrated Wall of Wonderful  Wraps,  Heroes  and  Rolls  to imagine the delicious combinations of tasty sandwiches that have been created and creatively named by Chris himself.

Only the best dressings, sauces, meats and cheeses make it into one of Chris’ creations. There is the “End of the World”, a sandwich made with notoriously hot ingredients, aptly named because “if you eat it, it’s all over!” There is also “The Cowboy” with a combo of ingredients that includes ranch dressing.  If you ask for “The Homeless Cowboy,” you get The Cowboy… without the ranch!  There’s “The Dunk,” “The Rocky Mountain,” “In a Pickle,” Sweety Bird,” “Smokey Jo,” “Fat Louie,” and “The Gladiator,” a grilled chicken Caesar Salad sandwich. Chris has so many sandwich specialties with so many clever names, that there are just too many to list.

Chris has been serving breakfast and lunch to the Pawling community for the last fifteen years. In that time, he has been very supportive of the students of Pawling High School and Trinity Pawling. If you walk back to his tabled section, he will proudly point out the wall dedicated to the girl’s sports teams, with framed articles from local papers, autographed by the highlighted players. He provides and personally donates hearty breakfasts to the Pawling Football team every Saturday morning before a home game (this year the fave fare is his famous Bacon, Egg, and Cheese sandwich).

Every Friday is Taco Day, and at one dollar per taco, it’s no surprise that he is consistently sold out!  In fact, he displays the tee shirt that was signed by the students who won the last Taco War back in ’09, and he looks forward to providing the taco’s to the next group ready to take on the challenge. He says he only needs one week’s notice to prepare. So if you have a group of about seven or eight who can eat more than 88 tacos in one sitting, you have got to give Chris a call.

Chris ‘s Deli delivers. They will deliver to any of the area schools at lunch time if the school lunch menu for the day doesn’t appeal, and his prices are pretty reasonable.  He’s open from 5:00AM to 5:00PM, Monday through Friday, and closes by 4:00PM on Saturdays.

So, if you have a hankering for a sandwich that is out of the ordinary, be sure to give Chris a call at 845-855-3855. Or stop by his shop at 6 Broad Street. If your heart’s desire is not on the menu, he’ll make you a combo to order. And who knows… he might even name it after you!

P.S.  When you walk into Chris’s Deli, you’ll also hear Pawling Pubic Radio at 101.7FM playing during business hours. We are most appreciative!