The Bodega: Sandwiches Stacked with Flavour, Creativity and Soul

Norwich Market: the perfect destination in our fine city for us foodies!

Whether you fancy an indulgent sweet treat, a classic fish and chips or a taste of Asia, there is an option for everyone (which is perfect for me and partner who always have very different lunch cravings!).

But what I love more than the incredible variety of food Norwich Market has to offer is the community that lies at the centre of it all. Behind every stall is a driven team who is passionate about the hospitality industry and the growing independent food scene across Norwich.

Nestled among the bustling rows of the market lies The Big Deal’s Bodega: a New York style sandwich shop that transforms your idea of a ‘lunch break sandwich’!

Forget calling a slightly stale sandwich and a half empty pack of crisps your lunch, Bodega’s stacked sandwiches will transform your lunch break, offering an abundance of flavour, creativity and energy!

I spoke to Edward Watkinson, the Owner of The Big Deal’s Bodega, to discover the journey of the business, the creative process behind all of the sandwiches and his views on the independent food community across Norwich.

When did The Bodega open?

The Bodega opened in July 2022, after many years of being a chef, I moved in to the restaurant consultancy business.

Pretty much all of the businesses I helped other people open were doing really well and I was keen to do it for myself.

I saw an Ad on Facebook marketplace for the lease at a market stall, messaged the guy, met him that afternoon and told him straight away I’d take it.

The concept I was going to open changed about ten times but always came back to or included sandwiches in some form.

My Alter ego, The Big Deal, is a rapper and DJ that spent his formative years in New York and developed a love for NY bodegas and how integral to their communities they are.

Where do you look for inspiration for new sandwiches?

New dishes come from many different inspirations, sometimes it’ll be holidays me and the team have been on and the incredible food we’ve eaten there.

Other times they’ll come out of optimisation of produce. For instance, we butcher the chicken for the fried chicken and are left with a large quantity of trim. We always have a sandwich on that utilises that in some form whether it’s roast chicken in caramelised onion mayo or a chicken mousse filled dumpling.

Occasionally one of us will think of a great name for a sandwich and then work backwards from there trying to make a delicious sandwich out of a good pun.

I’m currently working on a Cornish pasty-based sandwich after hearing someone on the radio talk about ‘living in a Ginster’s paradise’

Describe your process for creating new sandwiches (from initial idea to final product!).

The process of creating new sandwiches usually involves about 8-10 different trial runs before something hits the menu.

Even then once it’s on the menu we’ll tweak and change it to make it better or make service more efficient.

Some of our sandwiches we serve 400 of in any given week, it’s easy to underestimate how hard they might be to do on that scale when we’re in the development stage.

What impact do you aim to have on those that visit Bodega?

I just hope people enjoy themselves and leave well fed and happy.

It’s important to me that the team are happy in their jobs and I think this ultimately makes the customer’s experience better too.

We are, ultimately, just selling sandwiches, however the bar for an average sandwich you might pick up on your lunch break is quite low. Everyone’s seen the shelves full of slightly depressing looking meal deal sandwiches available in every supermarket and we offer a much more exciting alternative to that.

What has been key to the growth of Bodega?

The Bodega’s growth has been incredible to see. It was only ever supposed to be a passion project on the side and has grown into something so much more.

I’ve always tried to keep the same ethos as the start even when expanding and probably most importantly look after the people that are helping me achieve all these wonderful things.

What makes Bodega unique?

I’m not sure what makes us unique to be honest! That might be a question to ask our customers! We’re proud of everything we serve and are super lucky to be able to do pretty much whatever we want.

What do you love most about being part of the community of independent businesses at Norwich Market?

Norwich Market is collection of the most hard working and passionate small business owners you’ll find anywhere.

These people should be prioritised and nurtured by our city council. The Market is such an asset to this city and its success is solely down to the traders that give all their time, energy and passion to keep it going.

What power does good food have?

Food, and good food specifically, has been my entire life since I was about 12 and started working in a kitchen on the weekends.

Eating good food has a unique ability to change your whole mood and is something that you can think back to with warmth for years to come.

There are a few different meals throughout my life that I vividly remember eating and just those memories will be enough to put a smile on my face.

Norwich is becoming a hub for foodies, with an abundance of independent food businesses and the launch of Norwich Food Week earlier this year. What do you love most about the growing food scene across our fine city?

The Norwich food scene is exploding right now.

I grew up in Norwich and can remember a time when there would be one good place to get a burger, one good place to get pizza, one good place to get Italian food etc. Now there’s multiple places to go for any given cuisine and multiple very good places at that.

The people of Norwich supporting independent businesses so passionately is the key to our food scene getting better and better.

The cost-of-living crisis has meant that many of us has stopped eating out to save money. What importance do you believe eating out has?

I’ve always tried to eat out as much as I can, it’s a great way to connect with people and catch up with those you don’t see as often as before.

Whenever somewhere new opens I’m always very happy that I get an opportunity to shout some friends I’ve not seen in a while and head there for a night out.

How important is your relationship with The People’s Picnic (and how vital is this work to the local community)?

The Peoples Picnic is super important to me, the work they do is something very close to my heart and is probably the best example of local people taking action to help those that need it in their local area.

They work so hard week in, week out and should be so proud of everything they do.

What impact has social media had on the growth of your business?

Social media has undoubtedly had a massive impact on my business and has opened lots of doors/helped make us make new connections.

A strong social media presence is important for connecting with customers and potential customers.

That being said it also shouldn’t be taken too seriously, I like seeing people’s personality come through in their socials. Sometimes it hits, sometimes it doesn’t, if your post only gets 43 likes it’s not that bigger deal.

What do you hope to achieve in 2026?

People often ask what the plans are for the future or what I want to achieve and the answer is always the same:

Do good stuff with good people. Opportunities come all the time, but I’d never do anything unless I can be sure I can look after the people that put their trust in me by working for me.

Aside from that I’d like to spend more time with my dog, Haggis.

To keep up to date with the incredible work of The Big Deal’s Bodega, you can head to their Instagram (@bodega175_norwich)!