Sometimes a sandwich is just a sandwich. And sometimes, it’s so much more.
That’s how it’s worked out for Lisa Greenleaf and her son Jack Greenleaf, who recently opened their specialty Italian sandwich business Lunch Uptown at Broadway and Zimpel streets, right next door to the long-time college hang-out The Boot.
Last year the duo started with pop-ups at Pepp’s Pub in the Marigny and then opened a counter in St. Roch Market. Then last month, they moved to their own space near Tulane University’s campus.
Lunch
Where
1039 Broadway St., (917) 450-3763; lunchsandwichshop.com
When
lunch daily, early dinner Thu.-Sat.
How
takeout
Check it out
Tuscany-inspired sandwiches in the university neighborhood
Tulane is a major part of Greenleaf’s story. She was born in New York and lived in Lower Manhattan for 40 years, working as a film producer and executive producer on big corporate accounts at an advertising firm. When her daughter said she wanted to check out Tulane, Greenleaf wasn’t familiar with the school and wasn’t completely sure she could even find New Orleans on a map.
But in August 2017, they visited New Orleans, and it was Greenleaf who was sold.
“I swear, the second I got here, I knew,” Greenleaf says. “I was walking through the French Quarter; by the time I got to Esplanade I knew I was going to move here. In my mind, I’m thinking, ‘How am I going to make this happen? My son is just starting high school. I have a big job. But it’s going to happen.’”
Her daughter enrolled at Tulane, and Greenleaf came down every chance she could, returning home with Jazz Fest posters, Mardi Gras beads and king cakes to share with her New York friends. “They thought I was crazy, but that’s how much I love it here,” she says.
Then came 2020 and the pandemic shutdowns. She and her son joined her daughter in New Orleans for what was supposed to be a month. But Greenleaf never left.
When she moved to New Orleans, Greenleaf craved sandwiches based on Tuscan and Florentine storefronts like All’Antico Vinaio, a popular sandwich that made its way to New York and now other locations.
Greenleaf made fast friends with her neighbors in the Marigny rectangle, while also cooking and feeding the crowd. Many people urged her to start her own business. There was even a group trip to research sandwiches and wine in Italy.
Meanwhile Jack, now 21, graduated from the prestigious École Ducasse culinary school in Paris, adding his skills into the mix.
The menu is a collaborative effort between mother and son. The emphasis is on high-quality Italian ingredients, like mortadella, provolone, soppressata, broccoli rabe, Parmigiano Reggiano and more.
Greenleaf also perfected a recipe for schiacciata bread, foccacia’s thinner, crustier cousin from Tuscany. The bread, which takes two days to make, is the perfect delivery system for sandwiches like the Pisa, made with a chicken cutlet, fresh mozzarella, roasted tomatoes and red pesto.
It’s also used on the Roma, packed with prosciutto di Parma, fresh mozzarella, fire-roasted red peppers, pistachio-basil pesto and balsamic glaze. There are several vegetarian options, including the Capri, with mozzarella, tomatoes and pistachio basil pesto, served hot or cold.
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The stuffed square sandwiches are flying out the takeout window, often taken directly to the Boot for consumption. That’s been popular enough that they’re going to stay open late-night with a limited menu to keep the students fed. Jack also sells his banana bread and homemade chocolate chip cookies with sea salt.
At Jack’s urging, his mother added a half-sandwich option to each of the menu items, which range from $16-$21 for a hefty full sandwich. The halves run $9-$13.
“I wasn’t going to do it, because that’s not how it is in Italy,” she says. “But Jack convinced me the kids ate on the run and couldn’t always finish a whole.” It’s been a smart move.
The idea, still in progress, is for Greenleaf to open a café/bar with one of her neighbors in a building on Franklin Avenue, while Jack manages and runs the university location.
“Feeding people, connecting with my customers, means so much to me,” Greenleaf says. “This is something that Jack can use his skills for and really grow. For me, I’m happy in my neighborhood, feeding my friends. That’s what I want to do.”
Forbidden fruit is the sweetest.