Tara Francolini, a New Orleans restaurant business veteran, saw a niche in the local market. It was part of her own cravings for the Italian sandwiches she grew up eating in New Jersey and the northeast. She also knew one key factor could be a deal breaker.

“It’s the bread,” Francolini said. “It can make or break the sandwich, and I’d rather not open than serve sandwiches on bad bread.” A local bakery partnership is making the right bread available, and a new Italian deli is taking shape Uptown with a roster of sandwiches of the sort we just don’t get much of in New Orleans.