Gabriel Garcia has spent his career working in a wide variety of environments, from preparing Italian fare alongside Chef Andrew Miller at Salotto Zarletti (now Zarletti Mequon) and working with Chef Matt Baier at Dream Dance Steak to spending the better part of a decade in the kitchen at Merriment Social. More recently, he led the charge for Electric Lime Taqueria, a concept which (although short-lived) brought traditional Mexican fare to Downtown Milwaukee.

But thanks to months of hard work, Garcia will be breaking out on his own to launch Breakin’ Bread MKE, an urban diner-style concept offering Downtown residents and employees a menu of creative breakfast and lunch offerings.

The carry-out-only eatery, which is expected to open no later than early February, will offer a wide range of reasonably priced dishes for pick-up Monday through Saturday at Bodega Nightclub & Lounge, 628 N. Water St.

Garcia, who has been putting his Italian cooking chops to work by helping out in the kitchen at Safina, says he’s gotten a great deal of support from friends and family, particularly Sal Safina, who encouraged him to do as much as possible on his own. 

“Sal [Safina] has been so helpful in the process,” Garcia says. “He has been really supportive of the concept and encouraged me to put in the work so that I can launch this concept on my own without the need for investors. I’ve been grateful for all of his help.”

On the menu

“I have always loved breakfast and brunch,” notes Garcia.  “It’s tough getting up in the morning, but I always enjoyed the experience of serving brunch at Merriment and seeing peoples’ faces when you serve them really great food. So I’m excited to bring my spin on breakfast and lunch to Downtown Milwaukee.”

He says the menu at Breakin’ Bread, which features a creative mix of breakfast and lunch standards along with creative takes on classic dishes, is inspired by various phases in his career.

Highlights include breakfast sandwiches like Smokey Da’Lox featuring an Everything Bagel, pastrami salmon lox, dill chive spread, pickled red onions, arugula and avocado mash; and the HAMwich, a twist on the New Jersey pork roll with fried eggs, American cheese, Taylor’s Pork Roll and hot sauce ketchup on a potato roll.

Guests can also order classic breakfast (think: two eggs with bacon or sausage, potatoes and toast) or more composed breakfast plates like the Benny from Da’ Block (English muffin spread with herb cream cheese and topped with grilled steak, A1 hollandaise, eggs and fried pickled shallots) or Foster’s Gon’ Bananas featuring buttermilk pancakes topped with maduros (sweet ripe plantains), cajeta (goat milk caramel), pecans, whipped cream, bananas and cinnamon mascarpone.

Lunch items will include takes on Caesar and Wedge salads and a variety of sandwiches including the Chopped N’ Screwed, Garcia’s take on the Bodega-style chopped cheese; Italian-inspired creations like the Italiano (grilled pesto chicken, mozzarella, arugula, garlic marinated roasted peppers on herbed focaccia); and classics like the Corny Beef featuring marble rye topped with corned beef, sauerkraut, dijon aioli and sweet relish.

Breakin’ Bread “Must Trys” will include Garcia’s Mil’WACKY burger featuring double Angus beef patties, caramelized onions, fried cheese and mustard aioli on a pretzel bun; and the Hot Motha’Clucker featuring Nashville-style hot chicken on a Parker House sesame bun with cabbage carrots, Buffalo aioli and bread and butter pickles.

Once Breakin’ Bread is open, guests will be able to call in their orders for pick-up or use a self-service kiosk in the vestibule at Bodega to order and pay for their food. 

Garcia says that he has one more hurdle to clear before he’ll achieve occupancy at the new Water Street ghost kitchen, but he says if all goes well he expects he could open before the end of January.

Depending on how things go, Garcia says he ultimately hopes to launch a brick-and-mortar location for Breakin’ Bread MKE. But, for now he’s taking things one step at a time. 

“The name captures what I really want,” he says, “Which is a place where we sit down at the table and break bread together. As cooks, we’re always eating quickly, so we don’t always get that. But I’m excited by the thought of creating that environment for others. I just want everybody to come down and enjoy the food.”

Stay tuned for news about Breakin’ Bread’s opening date when it becomes available. And, in the meantime, give Breakin’ Bread MKE a follow on Facebook and Instagram.