Even PETA Would Endorse This Sandwich at Rebel Bread

It should come as no surprise that PETA — People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals — endorses veganism, which eschews dairy, eggs, honey and seafood because they're animal products.

And it's probably not surprising that the Virginia-based organization just placed Denver fourth on its list of top-ten vegan-friendly U.S. cities. Chicago tops the roster, followed by Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. and Denver. The rest of the top ten: New Orleans, Atlanta, Charlotte, Detroit, Los Angeles and New York City.

In its explanation of the rankings, PETA cites such Denver eateries as WaterCourse Foods and City, O' City, as well as food trucks The Easy Vegan and The Other Dog.
But there's a surprising spot where you can satisfy your craving for a vegan meal: Rebel Bread.

The self-proclaimed "Community Bakery and Bread School" ensconced in the Denver Design District bakes goods for distribution to shops, restaurants and farmers' markets around town. But it also has its own storefront at 675 South Broadway, where the small-batch, artisan bakery recently launched its own line of sandwiches called Gino Panino, with offerings ranging from salame to pancetta, turkey galantine and ham. Not exactly vegan fare.

But the ham sandwich, named the Josie, has a vegan variation that tops “Nonna G” roasted garlic and herb sourdough focaccia (which is vegan, with flour from Boulder's Dry Storage mill) with plant-based Koji-Ham, made from fermented mushrooms by an out-of-state supplier. This is one of the few non-local ingredients used by Rebel Bread, but it's worth bringing in — taste- and texture-wise, the Koji-Ham is a great vegan substitute for ham (or bologna, with its great mouth feel). And yes, the mayo on the sandwich is vegan, too.
According to Madeline McKay, the market and retail lead for Rebel Bread, the business has been in the Design District for "five or six years," and now occupies the now-defunct Culinary Institute kitchen. In the near future, she adds, customers can expect to find more than a couple of cocktail tables by the entrance and right outside the retail shop, she notes.

"So we're expanding to have a little cafe, so that we can have our sandwich shop, we can have an espresso bar, we can have pastries and loaves," McKay says. "But it won't be that big of an expansion, because we're mainly wholesale, so it would just be like we're a new wholesale account. It'll be connected and just be a nice place to come and hang out."

And enjoy that vegan Josie Gino Panino sandwich over a nice espresso, without having to worry about any PETA protesters,