Couple brings East Coast hoagies to Camarillo
Sub shop one of three new businesses in the Santa Rosa Plaza
By Michelle Knight knight@theacorn.com

IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers SUB LOVE-Owners Dawn and Troy Robinson, and helper Joe Giuliani of Simi Valley, serve up a fresh sandwich for a customer in their Camarillo sub shop, Jersey Mike's Subs.

A well-worn vintage suitcase sits atop a display shelf in Jersey Mike's Subs, the newly opened eatery in the Santa Rosa Plaza. But why is a travel bag given a place of honor in a submarine sandwich shop?

The bag, submarine sandwiches and franchise owner Dawn Robinson have a long and uncanny connection.

For Robinson, the suitcase became a cherished treasure that held many fond and savory family memories. Whenever her parents or grandparents, New Jersey natives who moved to Camarillo in the 1950s, returned from a visit back home, they'd bring the suitcase loaded with sandwiches found only in a particular small sub sandwich shop in Point Pleasant, New Jersey.

When Robinson learned a few years ago that the little New Jersey shop had turned into a national franchise, she told her husband, Troy, they had to own one. Dawn and Troy opened their own slice of sandwich heaven on Nov. 29 and gave the 41-year-old suitcase a prominent place.

"They taste the same; the taste is the original No. 13," Robinson said of "The Original Italian," the menu item she's loved her whole life. "I'm so excited. I have 100 percent faith in this business-the product is so good and fresh."

The Robinsons signed franchise papers a couple of years ago, but it's taken them this long to find the right location. They spent time looking in neighboring cities before a space became vacant five miles from home.

"And why not in my home town?-it only makes sense," Robinson said.

Even though Troy has spent the last 23 years as a contractor, working side by side with his father in the construction trade, he feels right at home behind the counter. His parents owned four restaurants in Oklahoma while he was growing up.

He may have traded in hammers and plaster for ham and provolone, but he'll never give up performing with his country and western band-Caught Red Handed-which has performed with Randy Travis and Phil Vassar. The band is well-known for their Concerts in the Park and Fiesta performances. Troy is the lead singer and guitarist.

If day two in business is any indication, the sub shop promises to be a busy eatery. By late afternoon a diverse group of customers were still streaming through the door, from residents of nearby Leisure Village to shoppers and employees of the various businesses in the center.

"It's been very busy but very exciting," Troy said. "We're so happy everyone came out and supported it."

Running the sub shop means Troy arrives at 7 a.m. to start baking bread and stays until the 10 p.m. closing.

"It's a lot of work but it's worth it because of the response you get from people," Robinson said of their policy to slice the meat and vegetables only when the customer places the order.

Dawn and Troy Robinson plan to open a Jersey Mike's in Moorpark in a shopping center to be built in 2008 on Los Angeles Avenue.