Today’s Special: Craig’s Breakfast Reuben

After its Reuben sandwich won accolades, the crew at Olmo decided to adapt the recipe to a breakfast sandwich.

As Olmo remodeled its Trumbull Street dining room during the pandemic to become a takeout storefront called the Bagelry, the retooled Breakfast Reuben has become a bestseller.

Nearly every ingredient in Olmo’s Breakfast Reuben is sourced from New England. It’s served on a pumpernickel bagel made by twisting together Olmo’s signature dough with a second rye dough, which includes caraway seeds and coffee from Bironi’s in Bloomfield.

The flour used comes from King Arthur in Norwich, Vermont and Ground Up Grain in Hadley, Mass., which makes a special high-bran blend just for Olmo. According to Craig Hutchinson, the extra gluten content from the bran yields a chewier bagel.

Piled high on top of the crispy, chewy foundation are healthy layers of black angus pastrami, Comté alpine cheese, sauerkraut, russian dressing, and two eggs from Soffer Farms in Branford — the breakfast element of the Breakfast Reuben. 

“We’re a bagel shop, we have pastrami, we make eggs… it just makes great sense,” Hutchinson noted.

Take-out and delivery orders will prove crucial to the ability of local restaurants like Olmo/ The Bagelry to weather the pandemic during the coming months as Covid-19 cases climb and cold weather sets in. Visit the the website for details on ordering takeout or delivery. Olmo is open Tuesday through Saturday 7 a.m. — 4 p.m. and Sunday 7 a.m. — 2 p.m.

The Bagelry has been going through 1,000 bagels on its busiest days in recent weeks.

The now-extinct dining room was the centerpiece of Olmo’s original incarnation. Hutchinson, a Bethany native, worked in fine dining in Boston after graduating from Brown with an economics degree. After a stint working in a ​“considerably more rustic” restaurant scene back home in Connecticut and a few years learning to bake in Brooklyn, he partnered with former Caseus owner and prominent restaurateur Jason Sobocinski as well as ​“math guru” Jim Baronowsi to create Olmo three years ago. They originally envisioned the restaurant bringing fine dining to Whitney Avenue with the bagels as more of a side gig. 

For two years, Olmo steadily gained traction and carved out an identity of its own at the former Caseus location. But this March, it all went topsy-turvy with the pandemic. Olmo was one of the first local restaurants to close, laying off 25 staffers overnight.

For months, Olmo operated on a two-person staff, with just Hutchinson and bakery manager Zena Alexiades making all of the food and Sobocinski and Baronowski delivering orders themselves. Olmo@Home, the restaurant’s at-home meal prep service, proved popular early on. In the first wave of the pandemic, bagels emerged as the favorite.

“Customers were flocking to bagels,” said Hutchinson. ​“They’re cheap, which was essential when people were losing income, and they were a comforting way for someone to start their day in a distinctly uncomfortable time.” 

In response, Olmo eliminated its dining room and moved the bagel operation upstairs to the newly rebranded Bagelry. Under the new tagline ​“Everybody Deserves a Bagel,” the restaurant has made its bagels its centerpiece, adding a new value menu which offers certain items such as the most popular bacon, egg and cheese bagel for just $2 on some weekday mornings and donating thousands of bagels to the homeless over the past few months.

By now, Hutchinson has been able to rehire the staff laid off in March and is now almost at full capacity again. For him personally, last year became doubly challenging when his infant son was diagnosed with liver cancer. 

After undergoing chemotherapy and surgery, his son has since recovered fully, ​“destroying things just like a normal 1‑year-old” … Hutchinson had to step away briefly mid-interview when his wife Cara called to say that their son had shattered a jar of salsa by dropping it on the kitchen floor.

Hutchinson said that while much of the burden of taking care of his son went to Cara and himself, the entire Olmo family was invaluable in supporting his family and the restaurant.

“[Olmo] really pulled together as a family last year,” said Hutchinson. ​“This is Team Olmo. I’m so proud that everyone gets to take ownership over what we do here.”

Previous coverage of recommended take-orders to help keep local businesses survive the pandemic:

• Today’s Special: Haci’s Napoletana Pie
• Today’s Special: Fred & Patty’s Brie On Baguette
• Today’s Special: Nieda’s Moist Falafel
• Today’s Special: Qulen’s Vegan ​“Wings”
• Today’s Special: Aaron’s Peruvian Rice Bowl
• Today’s Special: Singh Bros.’ Chana Kulcha
• Today’s Special: Grandma’s Chicken Soup
• Today’s Special: Woody’s Steak & Shrimp
• Today’s Special: Shilmat’s Yemisir Sambusa
• Today’s Special: Arjun’s Vegetarian Manchurian
• Today’s Special: Mohammed’s Bhel Poori
• Today’s Special: Francesco’s Tortelli
• Today’s Special: Seikichi’s Sushi
• Today’s Special: Ketkeo’s Khao Poon
• Today’s Special: Mike Fox’s French Toast
• Today’s Special: Zhang’s Squirrel Fish Dish
• Today’s Special: Jessica’s Gumbo
• Today’s Special: Kenny Kim’s Vegan Ramen
• Today’s Special: Ernesto’s Venezuelan Arepa
• Today’s Special: Corey’s ​“Prison Reformer” Frank
• Today’s Special: Bryan’s Butter Chicken Pie
• Today’s Special: Jared’s Super Supreme Baked Potato