Peppino perfect for sandwiches and more
Many of us have our regular spot to get a sandwich: a place that’s consistent, not too fancy and, if we’re smart, not too pricey.
My place has long been Peppino on Kensington Road — no matter how hectic the day has been, their meatball sandwich is always going to hit the spot. Having a personal stake in this (i.e. not wanting to see my lunch go-to disappear), it’s been heartening to see this little Italian sandwich empire grow over the years.
Peppino was founded in 1993 by the affable Joe Lecce, a former welder who had grown tired of the construction industry and decided to turn his cooking skills into a new business.
After starting with the Kensington storefront and nine kinds of sandwiches, Peppino has grown slowly but steadily over the years — a little less than a decade ago Lecce opened a second store in Bridgeland, which also had the space to increase his production of house-made products such as sauces, ice cream and pizza dough.
With the help of Lecce’s two sons, who now both work for the company full time (Nick is the sales manager and Gerard is in charge of the manufacturing arm), Peppino has more recently kicked into high gear — it now sells 200 products in Calgary Co-op locations and, in addition to the two original locations, operates downtown shops at 4th Street and 4th Avenue S.W. and in the NEXEN building.
The latest Peppino news is the launch of a new restaurant in the Beltline ( just off 17th Avenue, near Analog Coffee), which is the first Peppino to be franchised out to a new owner. Owned by Ab Haymour, the franchise still has that Peppino feel and familiar Peppino products. To the untrained eye, nothing much is different — which is exactly what the Lecce family wanted.
“We built this business on our quality and people come to visit us because of that consistency and we can’t ever change that,” says Nick Lecce, who personally trained the new location’s staff. “This is like an extension of our family.”
The new Peppino is modern but unpretentious, with a 24-seat cafe, a bright and bustling sandwich counter and freezers and shelves stocked with take-home products. The sandwiches are exactly what they should be: 36 different combinations served on simple sub buns, including the beloved Hot Italian Meatball ($8.50), the spicy Vesuvius with calabrese salami, capicollo and banana peppers ($8.75) and vegetarian selections like roasted eggplant marinated in spiced olive oil ($9). Can’t decide? Ask for The Surprise ($9.50), and the staff will make up something of their own design. Peppino also does breakfast sandwiches with a spiced fried egg, capicollo, cheese and tomato on ciabatta ($5) until 11 a.m. and offers daily pasta specials for $5.
While the quality is the same, the new location does boast one welcome difference: it’s the first Peppino to serve beer and wine. Five bucks gets you either a Peroni or a glass of white or red. A sandwich and a beer for less than $15? It’s a hard deal to beat.
Find the new Peppino location at 1512 7th St. S.W. It’s open 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays. For more information, call 403-452-9006 or visit peppinogourmet.com
Restaurant enthusiasts may have heard of Gold Medal Plates, the event built around the annual Canadian Culinary Championships. This year, Gold Medal Plates has rebranded as Canada’s Great Kitchen Party, a shindig that promises to be even flashier than its predecessor. Organizers have re-jigged the event to focus equally on three key pillars — sport, music and food — and it looks like it will deliver on all three counts.
For the culinary angle, 10 local chefs will be competing in the local qualifier, including heavyhitters like Bridgette Bar’s JP Pedhirney, Anju’s Roy Oh and The Teatro Group’s Matthew Batey. Each chef will attempt to wow a panel of judges (headed by the great John Gilchrist) with a special dish to earn a spot at the national championships in Kelowna this February alongside chefs from 10 other Canadian cities.
The food is still presented in a standup format so attendees can network around the room and try out each chef ’s wares.
The spirit of sport will be represented by a number of elite athletes in attendance, and the musical element will be taken care of by Blue Rodeo’s Jim Cuddy, who will perform along with Barney Bentall, Danny Michel and other Canadian favourites. To up the star quotient further, George Stroumboulopoulos will serve as emcee.
Of course, there is a point beyond wining, dining, dancing and hobnobbing: Canada’s Great Kitchen Party has a strong fundraising element. With the rebranding, all three of those key pillars will be represented by the event’s benefactors, B2ten (sport), MusiCounts (music) and Community Food Centres Canada (food).
The Calgary leg of Canada’s Great Kitchen Party is Nov. 1 at the Telus Convention Centre. For tickets and more information, visit greatkitchenparty.com.