BY TRACY CHILDS
Talk about coming full circle:
In April, Matt Meddock, Beckham Thomas and Max Schlutz opened Sessions West Coast Deli at Woodbridge Village Center — in the heart of the village where Meddock and Thomas both grew up. Meddock explained why they chose the newly renovated center for their third location — and which sandwich customers simply can’t resist.
Why Woodbridge Village Center?
Most of my memories of being young are in Woodbridge. It’s really a dream come true to bring a brand that I’m so passionate about back to my hometown. We chose Woodbridge Village Center because, with its village-center location, it brings back what many people are longing for — social connection with others. We think Sessions will be a great fit here because we designed it to be a place where people gather, enjoy each other, celebrate, and spend quality time together.
With three partners, who does what?
We all bring our own passions and skills. Beckham is equally as excited to get back into town and bring our concept full circle. His role is to keep me grounded and make sure our business is running at full capacity. Max is the master in the kitchen. He makes sure people come back for more.
What is Sessions’ claim to fame?
Sessions is a West Coast Deli — we’re the first in the country to call ourselves that. We incorporate fresh made-to-order food that caters to Southern Californians’ busy lives.
How will the Irvine deli be different from your others in Huntington Beach and Newport?
Irvine is going to be next level for us. This location will introduce our first patio. We’ll have six beers on tap, wine, cold brew and Kombucha teas on tap. We plan to have live music on Friday and Saturday nights along with brunch on weekends.
What’s the go-to sandwich on the menu?
Our most popular item is the Summer Zephyr and probably because it’s named after my beautiful wife, Summer. It’s got marinated tomato, arugula, mozzarella, pesto, pickled onion and balsamic on a French roll. Seriously, it’s insane, and has won every award you can win in our world.
