At Towne Deli, It's a Great Day to be a Hilltopper

Ask most kids at Summit High School what their favorite sandwich is and they'll say without hesitation the Hilltopper from . This is evident by the line that goes out the door every single day. Longer on the weekends, but that's OK because it's the place to see and be seen.  The owners, David Murphy, Anthony Ferratti and Rick Stumpf have worked at the deli for the past 20 years.  In fact, they love the deli so much, they bought it five years ago.  Thats hard to believe since they look like they could still be in high school.  Deli as Towne Deli is affectionately called has always been popular with the high schoolers, but has garnered quite a loyal following in the last few years when David, Anthony and Rick took over and the Hilltopper sandwich was created.  

As the story goes, The Summit High School class of 2006 came up with the sandwich; chicken cutlet, bacon, barbeque sauce and melted pepper jack cheese on a sub roll.  It started with the lacrosse kids and then everyone was ordering it every day. It had a cult following, so they named it the Hilltopper after the Summit High school sports teams.  Today its one of their most popular sandwiches and they sell on average 40-50 a day and upwards of 100 on a busy Saturday.  

Co-owner, David Murphy says they pride themselves on their quality.

"All of our chicken is cleaned and hand breaded from start to finish," he said. "We use premium bacon, tons of pepper jack cheese and a hickory barbeque sauce which has a delicious flavor.  Our bread is baked fresh every day."

It's not just Hilltoppers that love a Hilltopper.  It's one of those sandwiches that has everything in it that you want to eat.  Crispy chicken smothered with spicy pepper jack cheese and tangy barbeque sauce.  The bacon is the difference between eating just one and being tempted to order one more.  It's easy to understand how a sandwich gets a cult following even if the calorie count is better suited for a growing young athlete than an aging mom.  

Of course, it would be hard to get a Hilltopper without Deli's signature half and half. Half lemonade, half iced tea, it's served in a distinctive large salad container.

"It's taken off in the last 10 years," Murphy said. "Today we make 100 gallons a day.  Everybody swears by it. It's iconic. It's not a functional cup and we tried to change it, but people love it the way it is."

Listening to their customers is what Towne Deli does best and they embrace the youth that has made their business so successful.  For the past six seasons, they've been cooking breakfast for the football team before all of their games.  Now they're involved with the Summit High School Boosters and as Murphy says "Those moms involved with the Boosters are fantastic."  Thanks!  Towne Deli seems to be serving their home cooked food everywhere the Boosters are whether its tailgating at Tatlock Park or the Boosters holiday sale in November.  If you happen to be at the high school when the halls are crowded with kids switching classes, you can be sure to see a few wearing Towne Deli T's.  It's their second uniform after Summit gear.

With Summit sports being so good, its opened a lot of doors for Towne Deli.  As the Summit boya lacrosse team continues to defend their title of state champions, the mood at Towne Deli is electric.  Indeed, such a little sandwich with such a big name is fuel for our spirit.  Go Hilltoppers!