How to Make a Sandwich with Anthony Marini | Video

Anthony Marini of The Pass, in Charleston, serves up a large bite of Philadelphia with his appropriately named sandwich, Such a Nice Italian Boy. Piled high with three types of meat and finished with a homemade vinaigrette, Marini recreates this infamous handheld while walking us through the technique for how to make a sandwich.

Marini began his culinary career in his hometown of Philadelphia after graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. He eventually relocated to Birmingham where he opened his first fine dining restaurant, AMBA. Only two years later, Marini’s second restaurant, (local), garnered awards and attention from local and national publications.

Shortly after, Marini appeared on and won the show Restaurant Startup with a crudo and sous vide concept, beating out other popular food trucks and ideas. He received the show’s first 100-percent customer satisfaction rating and offers from two investors.

Presently in Charleston, Marini runs The Pass, a 700-square-foot artisan deli and market. The restaurant serves sandwiches and salads by day, filled with high-quality meats and cheeses. After closing, the small shop transforms into a private dining experience unlike any other. The single communal table available can accommodate six to ten people for the private tasting menu, created by Marini himself. 

With only a single table available, reservations for Marini’s tasting menu can fill up quickly. Luckily, delicious sandwiches are available for walk-in customers during the day, no planning required. Such a Nice Italian Boy is one of the shop’s most infamous, with three types of meat and burrata piled high for an Instagram-worthy cross section. 

To start, a sweet and spicy Calabrian chile relish is spread on the bottom of a freshly made ciabatta roll. Thin slices of mortadella, a pistachio-filled meat from the Bologna region of Italy, are piled on top with both mild and hot soppressata. The meats are held down with an entire ball of burrata and seasoned with olive oil and freshly cracked black pepper. To add some color and crunch, thinly sliced red onion, mixed greens, and roma tomatoes are placed on top before being covered in shavings of sharp provolone. Lastly, a housemade vinaigrette full of dried herbs adds some necessary acid and aroma.