Walking in its doors, the smell of fresh baked bread overwhelms the senses and has done so since 1963. But here in the near future, people will not have to drive to Santa Ysabel to get a taste of Dudley’s famous bread. It has a second home in East County—Santee.
“Turkey with strawberry jam and a row of strawberries,” said Evan Brunye, one of the sandwiches to be on Dudley’s Famous Deli‘s menu when they open in Santee.
Walking in its doors, the smell of fresh baked bread overwhelms the senses and has done so since 1963. But here in the near future, people will not have to drive to Santa Ysabel to get a taste of Dudley’s famous bread. It has a second home in East County—Santee.
“Turkey with strawberry jam and a row of strawberries,” said Evan Brunye, one of the sandwiches to be on Dudley’s Famous Deli‘s menu when they open in Santee.
Evan is the son of Barry Brunye who owns the original Dudley’s Famous Bakery in Santa Ysabel. Evan Brunye will head up the new Santee location and will have David Castellon manage the deli for him. The new location is in the former Joe’s BBQ site at 205 Town Center Parkway.
Santee Chamber of Commerce President John Olsen said he is looking forward to what Dudley’s will bring to Santee’s restaurant scene.
“We are very excited that Dudley’s is coming to Santee,” said Olsen. “It’s a great location, and they will be a great addition to the mix of restaurants we already have in Santee.”
Evan Brunye, an El Cajon resident, scouted out a number of locations for the future deli and found one “down Highway 67 in Santee” and there he plans on building the deli.
His father purchased the original Dudley’s in 2007 and said it required quite a bit of work to get it back in good condition. Barry Brunye said the Santa Ysabel location is actually a destination restaurant with tour buses stopping by during various times in the year. One of those times is apple harvest season around Julian with Dudley’s making its own version of the Julian apple pie.
Sandwiches, made-to-order or build-your-own options, will include the famous Dudley’s breads and include not only the turkey one but one with roast beef on asagio bread with pineapple, and Thousand Island dressing. Signature sandwiches, like the roast beef, will be the deli’s up-and-coming stars.
Salads, smoothies, standards like tuna melts, and of course, some well-known Dudley items like their fruit bars will be on the menu. Seating will number 30-40 with inside and outside dining available. Brunye plan a soft opening in mid-September.
While Dudley’s Famous Breads are now available in select grocery stores, the deli will offer up the bread in sandwich form. Many East County parents are familiar with Dudley’s Breads’ fundraising campaigns and parents and organizers will be able to coordinate those efforts out of the new deli location.
The motif of the new deli will be reminiscence of the original rustic brown and gold. Evan Brunye, a U.S.D. graduate in engineering, will design his own deli’s future success.
