- If you get a craving for Italian-style sandwiches and you're in the Durham area, we found a place that serves paninis, tramezzini, and crostini, all at a warm, cozy sandwich shop called Toast.

♪ - We both had come from kind of more of a fine dining setting and we wanted to not be in fine dining anymore.

We wanted to have more of an everyday spot for all people and not necessarily a special occasion.

So we thought of all these ideas that we could do.

Also, we were on a budget.

- Had no money.

[laughs] - So we did a lot of research.

And we narrowed it down from maybe like 12 possible ideas down to Italian sandwiches.

We opened Toast on February 8, 2008.

- I more or less grew up in Durham.

When I was a kid, my dad, who is an attorney in Durham downtown, this was like the mid '70s.

This was still, right, it was bustling.

It was before, like, everybody kind of left to the suburbs.

- We both ended up working at a restaurant in the mid '90s, '94, '95, called Pop's Trattoria.

And that's where we met.

Less than a year later, we were moving to Vermont for Billy to go to culinary school at New England Culinary Institute.

And then we missed home.

We missed Durham.

We were ready to open our own place.

So we're an Italian sandwich shop.

And that was the basis of our menu, which we've since branched kind of all over the place.

Our main part of the menu is panini, the pressed sandwich.

And then we also have tramezzini, which are full-size tea sandwiches.

They're the soft white bread, crust removed, with cool fillings inside.

And then crostinis.

We also have a really good green salad with homemade vinaigrette.

- So simple, and people go crazy.

- They go crazy for it.

And homemade soups.

So a giant part of our clientele, like our regulars, don't even get sandwiches here.

They just get soup and salad.

- We decided that since we both worked at restaurants with a very big emphasis on local farmers and local vegetables, that we would try to incorporate that into our menu in a way that it would be affordable for people.

- So the salsa marinade.

Just watch out.

Don't let your napkins blow away on you.

- Our team is everything to us.

We wouldn't be Toast without the team that we have now.

- So Johnny, you worked with Johnny at-- - At Lantern.

- At Lantern.

- Years ago.

- We needed to find a replacement for the number two in the kitchen, or the sous chef in the kitchen.

He's been with us for 16 of our 17 and a half years.

- So when we drop, he's just going to-- this is his.

(laughs) - I've been here so long because the people are awesome.

The chicken panini is one of my favorites, and definitely one of the most popular on the menu.

Salsa verde is very fresh.

Got a lot of parsley, but some basil, oregano, fresh shallots, garlic, chili flake, capers.

And our chicken, we brine it, so it prevents it from drying out.

Fresh roasted red and yellow peppers with fresh thyme, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil.

Fresh mozzarella.

Put that on the grill.

A crostini is a sliced baguette that we toast with olive oil and salt.

Heat until they're GBD, gold brown delicious.

It's our two most popular flavors.

It's warm goat cheese with local honey and black pepper.

And our house-made pesto with roasted tomatoes and fresh mozzarella.

[speaking spanish] - They have a different soup every day, and I love soup.

And the people here are just really friendly.

- The food is delicious.

Everything's made from scratch.

And you can't take for granted how great it's going to be.

It's always spot on.

- Before even you bring the food into play, we want everyone to feel like they belong here.

♪ - Toast is at 345 West Main Street in Durham.

And they're open for lunch every day from 11 AM to 2:15.

They're closed on Sundays.

For more information, give them a call at 919-683-2188.

Or go online to toast-fivepoints.com.