New deli caters to Elginites

Elginite Jeff Turner has opened numerous new eateries as the head chef or manager during his 18 years in the restaurant business.

On Tuesday, the 34-year-old father of two finally opened his own, named In the Neighborhood Deli & Cafe.

The deli at 185 N. Edison St., just south of Highland Avenue on the city's west side, is the product of 10 months of planning by Turner, his wife, Megan Turner, and her mother, Lin Zupek.

After the lunch rush subsided, Turner answered a few questions about himself and the deli.

Q: How does it feel to be the boss now?

A: Turner has no problem working long hours to treat customers right. Now that he's on his own, he makes his own hours. "It enables me to be with my family more and see my kids (Alec, 7, and Katie, 5) grow up," he said.

Q:How did you choose the name?

A: Turner and his staff considered a historic Elgin theme, but decided to focus on the neighborhood. "In the Neighborhood" was thrown out and it just stuck. "(The name) supported what we want to do: create a destination for the neighborhood," Turner said.

Q:What is something new you've learned so far?

A: Turner said his experience helped him on the operations side, but he was not prepared for the exhaustive city permitting process. He had hoped to open in September or October of last year.

Q:The deli has 13 signature sandwiches named after Elgin streets, landmarks and colleges. Would you consider naming one after an Elginite?

A: "We're wide open to naming our sandwiches anything," said Turner, noting he plans to hold a contest this summer for businesses to send in their ideas and have his staff vote on a winner.

Q:If a person could only visit your deli once, what is the one sandwich he must order?

A: The Washington, which has four meats and two cheeses, Turner said. "I call that the grand daddy. It's a monster of a sandwich," he said.

Visit www.itndeli.com or call (847) 888-9486.