Calabama Sandwich Pop-Up, Drops Down

Cara Haltiwanger, founder of the brand "Calabama" drops sandwiches to hungry community members on May 16, 2021, in Hollywood, Calif. After the COVID-19 lockdown went into effect, Haltwanger found a way to work with the social distancing guidelines and still get her delicious sandwiches to hungry patrons. (Jon Putman | The Corsair)

On Sunday mornings, pop-up chef Cara Haltiwanger wakes up at 5 a.m. to start her busy day. She and her brother prep until around 9:45 a.m., then start dropping sandwiches. Haltiwanger lowers breakfast sandwiches off the fourth floor of her Hollywood apartment’s fire escape, using a bucket and a pulley system, while her brother makes the sandwiches in her kitchen. Haltiwanger started the bucket drop on March 29, 2020, and has kept it going each Sunday since.

Starting this unique concept created its own set of roadblocks. Her biggest concerns were the legality of the operation, how her building manager felt, and being shut down. “I come from a [mindset where I] ask for forgiveness, not permission, but my building manager lives in the building," said Haltiwanger. They eventually came to an agreement and worked things out. Haltiwanger also gives neighbors free sandwiches and hot sauce as her way of saying thanks.

Calabama’s Instagram is where everything starts. On Thursdays, customers can access a link to purchase a sandwich and a five-minute time slot for pick up, via their Instagram story. There is only one sandwich sold per time slot, allowing customers the ability to be COVID-19 cautious and socially distant. The sandwiches sell out very quickly, so customers have to act fast. After purchasing, customers receive an email with the address and other information regarding pick up.

Haltiwanger sticks with just one kind of breakfast sandwich: bacon, egg, cheese, grilled onions, avocado, aioli, and white bread cooked on a cast iron skillet, though customers can request it as vegetarian. Customers also have the option to buy the Calabama hot sauce. 

The name Calabama comes from the combination of Alabama and California, which is both Haltiwanger's style of food and where she grew up. “I don’t like to stray too far from classics when it comes to southern food,” said Haltiwanger. “It's what I feel comfortable with and what I feel I can make confidently and with a lot of love.”

A large part of the bucket drop experience, for many customers, is posting about it on social media, including Instagram and TikTok. To Haltiwanger, the media attention made the experience start to feel like a show, but she believes it's much more than that. As time went on, she started to build a community. Many customers even drop gifts into her bucket, which Haltiwanger usually posts photos of on her Instagram story.

“I always want to make sure [the customers] have a good experience. So I’m always smiling and waving...and talking to them...and letting people take photos [and] videos,” said Haltiwanger. “I'm just trying to be there for people and give them an experience that makes them feel like it was worth it for them to come out and see me."

To experience the bucket drop, there will be a link on @Calabama's Instagram story Thursdays at noon for a Sunday time slot.

Maria, a Hollywood resident, picks up 2 sandwiches for her and her daughter on May 16, 2021, in Hollywood, Calif. (Jon Putman | The Corsair)