OB Bread Co.

I recently ventured out to the Farmers Market in Ocean Beach only to try my neighbor Jeff Shinn's catering company OB Bread Co. I noticed him in front of our houses unloading items from his truck almost every day when I finally asked him what he was doing. He said he had a catering company. I was instantly intrigued since that is right up my alley. He told me I can try it at the OB Farmers Market on Wednesday and he dropped a menu off for me to check out. Handcrafted Soups, Bread Bowls & Panini Sandwich's...oh wow, I'm there!

Jeff has been in the restaurant business since 1990 as his parents were restaurant owners. He started at the bottom and worked his way up to chef and manager. He is totally self taught and has no formal training which I think is the best kind of training!
The restaurant industry and cooking is Jeff's passion and roots...So the seeds for OB Bread Co. were planted and it is blossoming. He started the company in December of 2010 with the plan of offering San Diego only the best, freshest, local ingredients with the service to match.
Jeff Shinn: "It is my opinion that there are very few good small restaurants in San Diego. I eat out frequently and am often disappointed with the food quality, menu choices, freshness, and service. It seems San Diegans do not get the opportunity to eat well often, without having to go to a upper scale restaurant and spend a ton of money. My plan is to change that, at least on the small scale. My mission is to offer a superior product, made from local ingredients, for an affordable price".

Most of the menu items are Italian inspired. The idea is fresh food that is light and pleasing and Jeff's food is just that. The flavors are big but you don't feel like you just scarfed down a huge sandwich filled with enough meat for a family of four.

It all starts with the bread. He will be baking his own bread when he moves to a permanent store front, but as of now they are having their bread baked daily by Bread & Cie. Hey if someone has perfected a product like Bread & Cie has perfected their bread why stray away. You can not go wrong! The best baked bread in San Diego hands down.

All of OBBC's meats are hand picked from local butchers and all of the organic produce they use are hand picked daily at local farmers markets. Jeff makes all of his dressings and spreads from only the best ingredients. As for the soups, they are made with all locally grown, organic ingredients. Jeff says, "The recipes are mine and made with love",

and I tasted the love when I tried the Mushroom & Brie Soup. I was worried it was going to be so rich I would only be able to have a little taste. That was not the case. It had a delicate richness to it and I enjoyed the first bite as much as the last and I could not stop eating it. It was decadent. Loved it.

I can't wait to try some of the other soup's on the menu such as, Lobster Bisque with Sherry, Creamy Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato, and Potato Leek.

Oh and the best part is if you want to have it served in a bread bowl you can do so.

My friend and I split 2 panini's so I got to try 2 sandwiches! Deciding was a bit difficult for us as all of them looked so good. Jeff recommended his signature panini and we couldn't resist the chef's recommendation.

Turkey and Cheddar with Wild Blueberry Preserves. I wasn't sure how I would feel about the blueberries but it was amazing. Remind me why we eat cranberries with turkey on Thanksgiving? Blueberries might just be the way to go. The panini had fresh carved oven roasted turkey breast, sharp cheddar, arugula, with wild berry blueberry preserves and baked till hot on fresh sour dough bread. YUM! I could really tell that the meat was fresh and the precise sweetness of the blueberry preserves was spot on. It didn't over power the sandwich but just enhanced all the flavors. A favorite for sure.Jeff's girlfriend Stephanie who was working the counter recommended our second panini. Prosciutto Caprese Panini. This one was filled with fresh basil, roma tomato's, fresh mozzarella, black pepper and topped with prosciutto with a balsamic vinegar dressing and served on a fresh sour dough bread...baked till hot. The tomatoes tasted newly harvested and fresh mozzarella cheese was melted and hot. A very pleasant sandwich indeed and I seriously could not decide which of the two sandwiches I liked the best. I loved them both. Here is the full menu.

Right now OB Bread Co. is operating at the Ocean Beach Farmers Market and plans to expand to Little Italy, North Park and Point Loma. They plan to open a full scale store front within 6 months to a year and plan to open a number of stores all over San Diego. I can't wait till they open up a store near me. I will be popping in for lunch on a regular basis.

Jeff does live just across the way from me. I wonder if he delivers? huuuuuuuuuuum?

OB Bread Co.

1921 Bacon St. San Diego CA. 92107

619-313-3913

jeff@obbreadco.com