There are some things about living in Maine that I will always miss: a complete lack of traffic, living 20 minutes from the outlets in Freeport, and Ham Italians from Sam’s Italian Sandwich Shop.
Like many people born in Maine I grew up eating these tasty sandwiches. Almost every beach trip from my childhood and beyond began with a stop at a Sam’s store for delicious Italians that we’d pack in a cooler to eat while laying on the hot sand. I was a super picky kid and I would only eat ham, cheese, and pickles. Typically they also come with onions, tomatoes, and green peppers — all of which I do very happily eat now. Once at the beach we’d all split a bag of Munchos potato chips and try not to ingest a cup of sand along with our picnic lunch.
What will always stand out to me is the bread. The rolls are extremely fresh and have the consistency and texture of large bakery style finger rolls. I’m also a huge fan of the American Cheese the store uses. I know it sounds ridiculous to gush about American Cheese, but honestly all of the ingredients put together and splashed with Sam’s special blend of oil tastes completely unique. It’s impossible to duplicate these sandwiches at home. They’re amazing and I’m happy to report that I got to eat one along with a perfect chocolate whoopie pie (that I split with CK) on our way back from a brief weekend visiting my family. I unfortunately left the camera at home but once again my iPhone came to the rescue.