Sullivan’s offers classic sandwiches

Over the next several weeks, The Brandon Sun will visit small locally owned food trucks in Westman, tasting what our great corner of the province has to offer.

You may recognize the name Baylie Gigolyk from the pages of The Brandon Sun. She’s a powerhouse, quite literally.

Our sports department caught up with the Brandon athlete last November before she made the trip to Romania to represent Canada at the World Open Equipped Powerlifting Championship.

Little did we know at the time that Gigolyk is also one of Brandon’s resident foodies — one who also, it seems, has a soft spot for hearty deli sandwiches. And when she’s not working out down at the gym, she’s taking orders as the owner and proprietor of Sullivan’s Delights food truck.

Last year, Gigolyk bought her food truck — food trailer? — from the entrepreneurs who used to own the Mariachi Mexican Tacos food truck here in Brandon.

But it took some time to get set up, allowing for provincial inspections such as safety, fire and health, before she could open for business. So for a brief window last August, she started up, only to open for the full season this year.

Why sandwiches, you ask?

“I’ve always loved sandwiches. I just love sandwiches so much,” Gigolyk told the Sun during a lull outside her service window Thursday afternoon. The Sullivan’s truck was parked just outside the Christie’s Office Plus location on Richmond Avenue East.

“I have a master’s degree in chemistry, and I was working at a deli through grad school, and I just loved the atmosphere. I love, like, communicating with people, and sandwiches are super easy to do.”

While they may be simple to make, the flavour profiles on her menu offer patrons a wide array of classic deli-style sammies.

At the top of the list is The Club — a turkey-bacon combo with cheddar cheese, legate, tomato and mayo — which Gigolyk says is one of their best sellers.

In fact, you’ll find several other long-cherished sandwich varieties on the menu, including the BLT (bacon, lettuce, tomato), the Reuben, a classic turkey sandwich, and a vegetarian option called — unironically — The Veg, with provolone cheese, veggies, and pesto aioli. You may also want to try The Pesto, which sports turkey, provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato and pesto aioli.

Or if you’re feeling adventurous, there’s also a sandwich called The Gary, made with fried bologna, cheddar cheese, barbecue potato chips and mayo. I’m not sure who Gary is, but he’s got interesting tastes.

All of Sullivan’s sandwiches are made with Kuiper’s Bakery rye bread.

When pressed, however, Gigolyk says her two favourites on the menu are The Cubano and The Montreal.

The Cubano is a $15 sandwich that is filled to overflowing with ham, bacon, Swiss cheese, pickles and your choice of mild or hot mustard. She says it was her mom’s suggestion to add it to the menu. Mom was right, apparently, as it has been a strong seller.

“The Cubano has been a surprising addition,” Gigolyk said. “It’s been doing really well.”

And The Montreal, which is a dollar less at $14, is about as simple as it gets — a hearty amount of Montreal smoked meat and mustard. That’s it.

“I like the Montreal smoked meat with hot mustard particularly,” Gigolyk said.

“It’s a really nice one. You just can’t really get it anywhere. Like it’s just such a nice meat, really salted well, and … on the grill, it’s so good. Yeah, you can’t go wrong.”

As I am a fan of all things Swiss cheese-infused, I of course had to try The Cubano — with hot mustard, of course. Readers, take note: When Gigolyk says her sandwiches are hearty, she means it. The Cubano is a protein-rich sandwich that has multiple layers of thick-cut ham and bacon. It’s delicious and filling, with just the right amount of heat coming from that hot mustard.

But then, that should only make sense. What else would a weight-training powerlifter want for lunch?

“I don’t think that you can get like a really hearty sandwich in Brandon, so I’m trying to bring that to the community,” Gigolyk said.

“And yeah, I just … I just think it’s good food. It’s simple food. I’m not trying to be something I’m not.”

Sullivan’s will be parked outside Christie’s Office Plus today from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and you can find her next location by searching for Sullivan’s on Facebook. But if you plan on going today, I highly recommend bringing your own folding chair as there are no tables or benches in the parking lot.

I found myself sitting on the grassy curb across from the food truck with some friends for lunch on Thursday. (Oh, you should bring your own friends, too.)

Matt’s food truck rating: 4.5/5