A Hamilton landmark has been recreated. The Hickory Stick deli, in the Clarendon House building opposite the '24/7' gas station on the corner of Church Street and Par-la-Ville Road, has undergone a complete overhaul. The renovated deli will officially open its doors for business this morning, after a couple of days' trial run at the end of last week, with a specially-priced lunch, comprising a chicken Caesar wrap, a Coke Zero and a bag of chips.

Bermudian chef Paul Lawrence has co-owned The Hickory Stick since May 1989.

He made the jump into entrepreneurship to be able to spend more time with his children. "The main reason I bought in to the deli was that I had young kids, and as a chef, I would have had to work nights, weekends and holidays. I'd never have seen the kids," he said. "This opportunity came up, and you could see the potential for it."

The potential may not have been as obvious then as it is today. At the time Mr. Lawrence ("if you call me that, no one will know who I am, because everyone knows me as Paul," he said) became involved with the delicatessen, the only major building nearby was the Bank of Butterfield's Rosebank Building. In the past 20 years, Bermudiana Road, Par-la-Ville Road and their surrounds have witnessed the construction of any number of large office buildings. "My decision was more a matter of luck than judgement," said Mr. Lawrence, a tennis player and fan with a perpetually cheery disposition.

Hamilton was a different place in the late 1980s, and The Hickory Stick was one of the first delicatessens in town. Today, it faces competition from a number of others. "You might say that other people have seen the potential for a well-run deli," Mr. Lawrence said.

The Hickory Stick employs seven staff alongside Mr. Lawrence, who is a hands-on manager. "We're all Bermudian, except for our chef, Peter Oliver, who has been married to a Bermudian for 10 years," Mr. Lawrence said. The staff are: Doreen Gardner, Carmen Martin, 'Tinka' Ming, Brenda Simons, Nekia Scott and Felicia Trott.

The decision to renovate was made last year. "Lots of thinking and hard work went into the planning," Mr. Lawrence explained. "Like anyone, you go out and find yourself a good contractor first. Emily Black at Lindberg & Simmons was our architect. We looked at all sorts of ways of changing the elements of the deli around, but with the high-volume flow of traffic that we have through here, we stuck with the more personal choice of going to your sandwich-maker, rather than a cattle run," Mr. Lawrence said.

Between 800 and 900 people meet their maker at the 1,800-square foot Hickory Stick on the average working day, which runs from Monday to Friday from 6.30am to 4pm. Breakfast and lunch are the busiest periods, as you would expect.

Once the basic design decision was made, the work of constructing the new cupboards, work stations, cash register and other units was put out for bid to four local companies. "We chose Bermuda Interiors," Mr. Lawrence said. "Their reputation is first class, and they said they could do the work - and have done the work - in two and a half weeks. That was critical, because obviously we have to be closed while they're in here renovating."

The deli was gutted first. "We had no electrics left, no flooring, nothing but the bare walls and ceilings," Mr. Lawrence explained. "I have to give credit to Ron Smith, the owner, and Julian Baxter, the site manager, of Bermuda Interiors, for the way they set and then met their deadlines."

Other companies involved in the refit included Keen Electrical; Convoy Custom Interiors, who were responsible for the millwork supply ("All the cupboards, work stations and shelving were made in Toronto and it came down in pieces, like a jigsaw puzzle," Mr. Lawrence said); Surface Trends, who supplied and fitted the floor tile; BAC, for the air conditioning and plumbing; Abbot Decorating Contractors, who painted and supplied the finishing touches; and DD Drywall, who looked after the drywall ceilings and walls.

In case you're worried that the cost of breakfast or lunch is about to soar, fear not. Mr. Lawrence says that he has had to put his prices up a little, but will be holding them for the rest of the year.

"We did put our prices up slightly, not so much because of the renovation, but the way that the cost of food has risen," he said.

Mr. Lawrence is visibly pleased with the way the renovation has proceeded. "Someone said to me the other day, you could walk into this place and think you were in New York," he said.