5 Favorites — Freddie Slyman & Samir Elnehas

At age 19, Freddie Slyman manned the slicer at his family’s deli. These days he’s running the show. His cousin, Samir Elnehas, who emigrated from Lebanon at the age of 18, works alongside him, keeping Slyman’s Deli a family affair. Because their monster-sized corned beef sandwiches are one of our Cleveland favorites, we asked them for a few of their own.

FREDDIE SLYMAN, 42
Highland Heights / Co-owner, Slyman’s Deli

➊ Heinen’s Deli Counter “One of my favorite sandwiches is turkey, cheese, roasted red peppers and olive dip on a ciabatta. I get home, throw it in the oven and crisp it up.” various locations, heinens.com

➋ Stonewater Golf Club “It’s a difficult, challenging course.” 1 Club Drive, Highland Heights, 440-461-4653, stonewatergolf.com

➌ Johnny’s Downtown “My wife and I have a favorite waitress, Ginny. She’s been there, like, 20 years. She knows all of our quirks.” 1406 W. Sixth St., Cleveland, 216-623-0055, johnnyscleveland.com

➍ Gale’s Garden Center “In their parking lot they do a farmers market.” 2730 SOM Center Road, Willoughby Hills, 440-944-6066, galesgarden.com

➎ Pickle Bill’s “The kids love it. Sit outside. You can feed the fish.” 101 River St., Grand River, 440-352-6343, picklebills.com

SAMIR ELNETHAS, 39
Westlake / Co-owner, Slyman’s Deli

➊ Joe’s Deli “They have a shish tawook that’s one of my favorites. The food is made from scratch. They have a Lebanese lady in the back.” 19215 Hilliard Blvd., Rocky River, 440-333-7890, myjoesdeli.com

➋ 87 West 2 “It’s relaxing. Especially after a long day at work having to deal with so many people, you kind of want it quiet.” 287 Crocker Park Blvd., Westlake, 440-250-2334, 87west2.com

➌ Simone’s Beverage “They sell ouzo, and they sell Lebanese beer. It’s called Almaza.” 18414 Detroit Ave., Lakewood, 216-221-2221, simonesbeverage.com

➍ Five Seasons “It’s a very clean place to work out. It’s not busy. ... I get to do whatever I want without having to wait.” 28105 Clemens Road, Westlake, 440-847-2041, fiveseasonssportsclub.com

➎ Saint Elias Festival “They do a lot of Lebanese cooking and dancing. ... You run into people that you don’t see on a regular basis, but they are from the same village or their parents know yours.” Labor Day weekend, 8023 Memphis Ave., Cleveland, 216-661-1155, saintelias.org