Andys makes the most of flours power

Sometimes a simple sandwich is the best thing you'll eat all day especially if even the bread was made fresh that morning.

That's a philosophy John Certo II follows at Andy's Flour Power Bakery & Caf in Panama City Beach. He's a third-generation restaurateur and is the latest to be featured on "Emerald Coast Chefs" on Beach TV, at 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Sundays through Nov. 11

There's not an Andy at Andy's Flour Power, but there used to be. Certo bought the place in July, 2006, from father and son Andy and Kevin Faoutas. He had come to the beach on vacation and realized he didn't want to live in New York anymore.

The sandwiches Certo and host Margit Bisztray prepare on the show are classics the Cuban and the Reuben. "We have a fairly simple menu but everything is fresh," Certo says. "Everything gets done from scratch."

The Cuban calls for mustard, smoked ham, salami, roast pork, Swiss cheese and lengthwise pickle slices, stacked neatly in a sliced 7-inch section of loaf bread. At Andy's he also adds the restaurant's Cuban seasoning.

Tuck all the meat into the sandwich so it will be neat, Certo says. "This is fun food. You can use your hands."

He melts butter for a light coating in a pan, places the sandwich top-side down and toasts it for about a minute over medium-high heat. In the restaurant, he uses a sandwich press to warm the meat thoroughly. But at home, he notes, a brick wrapped in foil will work just as well.

For the Reuben, Certo uses the bakery's trademark round rye bread with lean corn beef and sauerkraut on one side, and Thousand Island dressing on the other. "One trick with sauerkraut," he says is "don't try to make your own If you go to your deli section and you get some good sauerkraut, it works just as well."

The Reuben, too, goes into the pan and under the brick for a about a minute; then you slice it in half and serve it warm.

The veggie stack sandwich at Andy's also is popular, with marinated and roasted zucchini, squash, asparagus and roasted peppers. Those veggies also go into salads and into omelets at breakfast, which Andy's serves crepe-style, rolled thin.

"Breakfast is probably what helped put us on the map in Panama City," Certo says. Andy's open at 7 a.m. and serves only breakfast and lunch, Monday through Saturday.

"Our French toast, that's what really put us on the map we use our French baguette bread for it and we top it off with fresh strawberries, toasted walnuts and some powdered sugar."

Pastries and muffins in various flavors butter rum, blueberry, cranberry orange, lemon poppy and pistachio are other specialties. For all foods on the menu, fresh and light are the bywords, Certo says. "We don't have a deep fryer in our restaurant."

Andy's Flour Power Bakery and Caf is at 3123 Thomas Drive in Panama City Beach. Call (850) 230-0014.