Tomato Sandwiches

When I was a kid, summer's arrival promised two things: my family's annual trip to East Hampton, on New York's Atlantic coast, and fresh tomato sandwiches. My mother's childhood friend John Heyman was our ringleader. A quirky guy with a comb-over and a dry sense of humor, John carried packets of salt in the pocket of his blazer in case he happened upon a ripe tomato. The kind of tomato sandwich John made—dense pumpernickel bread topped with Land O'Lakes butter, drippy beefsteak tomato slices, and a sprinkle of kosher salt—tasted especially delicious after a morning spent digging for clams or bobbing in the ocean. Over the years, John's sandwich has appeared on the menus of several restaurants where I've worked, and I still make it every summer. —Daniel Holzman, The Meatball Shop, New York City