TIMMINS - The hottest place to be for lunch today was a long-awaited sandwich shop.
Ciao Sandwich Co. has finally opened the doors to its location in downtown Timmins at 177 #rd Ave. today and the place was packed when lunchtime came. It's open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., or until the items are sold out.
“It was hard to judge how we’d do on our first day,” said Kennedy Wilson as she poured a latte and chatted with customers. “Even before we opened our doors, we had a sign installation guy coming, so the front door was open. People were just coming in at 7:45 a.m.”
The shop feels like a gathering place for many, and many wished Wilson and husband Ryan good luck. Many were also greeting coworkers and neighbours in line.
The seasonal menu features cinnamon roll mochas — which were flying out the door throughout the lunch rush — a tiramisu latte and a turkey cranberry sandwich.
Ciao’s classics from their time at Collège Boréal and catering gigs like their calabrese and chicken pesto sandwiches were also popular choices.
The full menu is available online.
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“We didn’t really know what to expect, whether 50 people would show up or 250,” said Wilson. “I think we’re going for the bigger number today.”
The downtown location was possible because of the Timmins BIA Win This Space contest they won in December 2023. They had been operating out of the Collège Boréal cafeteria before the move.
“It was a great place to get our feet under us and figure things out,” said Wilson.
Now that it’s finally open and running, the support the couple is getting is overwhelming.
“A lot of our customers have been our customers sort of since the beginning, so they’ve been following us, and they’re kind of invested in our story,” she said. “They just want to see us succeed, and it truly touches us that people come and offer us their support.”
They’re also offering breakfast until 10 a.m. which features their breakfast sandwich that became very popular at Collège Boréal.
They’re sourcing locally as much as possible.
“We try to do the best we can to support local as much as we can,” said Wilson. “Because people support us, and we’re local.”
