While it may seem that northsiders get to have all the fun as far as sandwich shops go, Applehead Deli is playing its part in changing that by bringing a stellar sanga offering to the south with its store in Mentone.
In terms of a small business backstory, things don't get much more wholesome than Applehead's origin tale. Daydreaming on an afternoon work break several years back, Denis Arbatov stumbled upon a humble shopfront in Mentone while scrolling through Gumtree, and as they say, the rest is history. Together with his partner Elizabeth Garginian, and with the aid of some money borrowed from his grandma and the help of his mum, Denis, who was determined to see out his dreams, opened Applehead Deli, his "little sandwich shop and slice of heaven."
One staff member become two, and the team eventually grew to ten, but a homely feel and humble vibe remained at the core of the business. Denis serves up his grandma's apple cake in the store, and she often pops in to check he is getting the recipe right. Most of the ingredients are made in-house, including slow-cooked pickled beef, housemade Russian dressing, pickled cabbage and gherkins, and 15-20 kilograms of meatballs are made each week.
Applehead Deli also pays it forward to other small businesses. It was the first store to stock and promote Sebby's Scrolls (@sebbys.scrolls), the purveyor of some of the best cinnamon scrolls going around Melbourne, which are now sold in more than 40 venues.
Venture off your usual path to lunch next time you're in need of a sanga, and check out Applehead Deli for an outstanding meatball sub, an unmissable Rueben or a delectable tuna melt. And save room for a scroll, of course.
