Gino Panino, a new pop-up from the team behind Rebel Bread, is bringing those viral Italian focaccia sandwiches you’ve seen all over social media to Denver.
While it may be housed inside the bakery on South Broadway, Gino Panino is its own entity. The concept is operated by Rebel Bread owner, Zach Martinucci and other bakery employees.
Gino Panino Antonella (Fresh mozzarella, sun-dried tomato pesto, and arugula on sourdough focaccia) at Rebel Bread in Denver on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (Photo by Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post)
“We’re excited to make this happen because Rebel has its own established identity and expectations, and we wanted to be able to have fun and be intentional about creating a dedicated sandwich brand,” Martinucci said. “We’re working out of the Rebel Bread kitchen, where we’re already familiar with making bread, and started experimenting with sandwiches earlier this year. We really liked the focaccia sandwich format, which reminded me of my favorite lunch in Italy.”
Made on the bakery’s fresh focaccia, Gino currently features seven different sandwiches, each named after important women in the founding team’s lives. Five of the offerings can also be made vegan or vegetarian, like the Josie, which employees can swap out the ham in with a plant-based koji-ham and substitute the mascarpone with a vegan mayo.
“We aimed for variety across the board, balancing sweet, savory, crunchy and creamy. My personal favorite is the Elisa, which comes with salami rosa (a blend of salami and mortadella), honey-pistachio mascarpone and arugula on sourdough focaccia. It’s a good representation of what we offer at Gino Panino, it’s something unique that you don’t typically find on other menus,” Martinucci said.
The concept may take inspiration from famous Italian sandwich shops like Florence’s All’Antico Vinaio, but Martinucci emphasized that many of the ingredients are distinctly Colorado. “We’re using regionally grown and milled flour from Dry Storage, locally made spreads and jams, and all our greens come from Altius Farms in Five Points.”
Notably, all the meats come from Fra’ Mani in California, known for its use of traditional Italian techniques. However, the star ingredient is Rebel Bread’s naturally leavened, long-fermented sourdough focaccia.
The pop-up’s namesake honors Martinucci’s grandfather, Nonno Gino, who was married to Nonna Gloria (whose Sunday roast is the inspiration behind the Nonna G sourdough loaf on Rebel Bread’s menu).
Owner of Rebel Bread, Zach Martinucci at in the Rebel Bread kitchen in Denver Nov. 04, 2021. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)
“Nonno Gino and Nonna G were both role models and culinary inspirations to me. Gino was a cabinetmaker and carpenter, and I love the name and what he stood for. He had tons of lessons about quality craftsmanship and how to do things the right way. He’s definitely an inspiration to the concept as a whole,” Martinucci continued.
In addition to Rebel Bread’s own retail counter, Gino Panino sandwiches are available at several coffee shops and grocers around Denver, including Roast Coffee Bar in Washington Park, Queen City Collective in LoDo, Huckleberry Roasters in Larimer Square and Leevers Locavore in the Highlands.
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“Every sandwich is made fresh daily, created specifically for grab-and-go,” said Martinucci.
While the team is intrigued by the idea of opening up physical locations, for now they are focused on perfecting their product.
“Since Rebel works with 100 wholesale accounts in Denver, we saw a great fit for our sandwiches at local coffee shops, breweries and places that don’t have the capacity to make their own. Right now, we’re focused on making the best sandwiches we can, and then we’ll see where it takes us,” Martinucci concluded.
Gino Panino is located inside Rebel Bread at 675 S. Broadway, which operates from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.