Creating a truly perfect sandwich can take months of grueling research and development! Every detail is important: the secret marinade, the even-more-secret sauce, the best technique to keep the filling moist, deciding whether a layer of grilled veggies or cheese would be a plus, lettuce or no lettuce. The bread selection is crucial too. It needs to confidently hold the sandwich “inners” without becoming too large to get your mouth around. It must also have a crust strong enough to hold in the juices—but not be so crusty that all the ingredients cascade into your lap when you bite down.
Lucky for us, there’s a small, funky Caribbean restaurant here in Seattle called Paseo. It actually has two locations, both reminiscent of those picturesque boardwalk sandwich huts on your favorite tropical beach. Paseo has done its homework and crafts many amazing, award-winning sandwiches. But they all have one very important thing in common: every last one is built upon a Macrina Bakery Giuseppe roll: a stubby baguette-type bread with a thin, crisp crust and a fragrant, flavorful interior!
Their signature sandwich is the Cuban Roast, made with heaps of succulent pulled pork that’s marinated with Lorenzo Lorenzo’s (owner and chef-originator) own secret spice combination. Into the Giuseppe roll goes a generous slather of seasoned aioli, fresh cilantro, crisp romaine, insanely good thick-cut, chargrilled onion rings, pickled jalapeños, and that flavorful, juicy pork! It’s all securely wrapped in sandwich paper to keep the juices intact, and the paper doubles as a plate—since you can’t possibly wait to get home to eat. In fact, if you’ve come to their waterfront location, you might as well sit down at a picnic table right outside the pink shack and have at it.
These sandwiches have an incredible following—to the tune of 1,500 to 1,800 of our Giuseppe rolls a day. This requires that four of Macrina’s busy bakers work for two to three hours daily to form and shape these signature rolls. The baking process takes about four hours to complete—then, after the rolls cool, the drivers gingerly pack them up and whisk them off for delivery before the restaurants open at 11 a.m. to lines of hungry fans. Paseo is the largest one-product customer we have, and we’re thrilled to be part of their success. March on, Lorenzo!