So, you meet a guy via some mutual friends at a university party. You talk sports. You talk food. You become tight. You graduate and go get jobs—one as an interior designer and the other is working for the government. Then a global pandemic hits and everyone is sent home. You suddenly have some free time on your hands and an empty bbq in your mom’s backyard, so you decide to feed your friends and neighbours. You light up the grill and start selling sandwiches—steak and only steak… they are delicious. So delicious that your instagram starts popping. This triggers that Toronto blog to creep your feed. They write a story and you become famous. Your sandwich becomes famous. The orders start pouring in from all over and you’re having fun. So what’s the next step? Naturally, you quit your jobs, rent a hole in the wall in Toronto’s little Italy and hope that you can sell a hundred sandwiches a day so you can pay rent and put a few dollars in your pocket.
And that my friends is a very, very, very condensed version of how Ricardo Barrientos and Aki Erenberg, combined their initials to create BEAR Steak Sandwiches… but since this isn’t an instagram post, we also have the long version…
The inception of BEAR Steak Sandwiches can be “pinpointed” to a [maybe] university frosh party where Aki and Ricardo met… an encounter that neither one actually remembers [we can all relate to hazy memories from that part of our lives]. Facts remembered: they met via a mutual friend, it happened in Guelph and the conversation went something like, “you like sports? I like sports… you like food? I like food.” This is followed by a phase where they both finish school, get degrees and real jobs. A period I like to call the “transition into adulthood.” The period was short-lived because the world as we knew it came to a screeching halt. Locked at home, the pair started cooking. First, Ricardo perfected his chimichurri—a vibrant and zesty sauce, made with fresh garlic, parsley, olive oil and some secret ingredients to give it a mysterious and unique twist—this is the stuff. Next, they sourced beef flank from a local butcher, cooked it sous vide to medium-rare, then commandeered the barbecue in Ricardo’s backyard to give it a sear. Finally, they sandwiched both ingredients on a papo seco, and stumbled upon what they thought was a perfect creation… and they weren’t wrong.
Friends and family placed orders but once the internet got involved, more people wanted a taste and the orders grew. Aki says, “We opened up a free Squarespace site, and we’d have 50 sandwiches to sell that’d be gone in the first half hour.”
As time went on, they realized they were making some money and having loads of fun—going back to “regular jobs” and living out the rest of their lives, doing the same thing day in and day out just to make a pay cheque didn’t look appealing, so in early 2023, they made a decision. “We were excited about creating something with our names on it, that we knew we’d be passionate about,” Aki explained. “We both mentally checked out quite early in the year. If there is even a slight chance that we could open up a shop in 2023 we were getting behind it 100%.”
They found a spot in Little Italy and started setting things up in July. A simple space with a bit of an 80s nostalgia thrown in— touches like the Toronto Toros banner that hangs above the door, the hand drawn sandwich sign [courtesy of Taryn @tonton.art] and the bear in the logo [courtesy of Benny @bsprojects.wip]. Different renditions of the bear and nostalgic illustrations can be found through various touchpoints of the brand, bringing a sense of familiarity and joviality to it.
By October the renovations were done and the boys were practicing with their new equipment, quietly leaving the from door open just in case someone wanted drop in to take home a sandwich—the BEAR soft-launch.
When they opened in November, the lineups started immediately, as did the photos—not only is the sandwich very photogenic, it loves posing for selfies. “We opened up this shop and thought to ourselves, ah, we’ll probably sell about 100 sandwiches a day—tops—crazy if we got over that. Now there’s days where we’re pushing 300. As soon as the lines started forming. We had to scale up and in a matter of weeks we added staff and tripled our production. I don’t want to send you away just because you weren’t here fast enough.” Now the only thing that will stop you from enjoying a BEAR steak sandwich is a natural disaster, or if the bakery runs out of papo secos.
The sandwich is definitely a star—I’ve tasted it and can testify that it is a succulent, mouthwatering symphony of flavours—but it is only part of the reason for BEAR’s success. One day, when the steak sando is at the podium accepting the Oscar for Best Leading Role as a Sandwich, who is she thanking? The two guys who made this moment happen. The personalities behind the sandwich who loved her enough to share her with the world. Aki and Ricardo, the same guys who will be greeting you with a smile as you walk through their doors.
In fact, you’ll see signs of their cheery demeanour before you even walk in, painted on the window are the words, “Your friendly neighbourhood sandwich shop,” and that’s just what they are. “We opened this shop up with the expressed intent that we just want to serve people good food.” They care about the people… what a concept.
And they buy everything local, preferring to spend their money within the neighbourhood rather than handing it over to the big-box stores. “Where do we get our buns from? Down the street at Golden Wheat—they’re the fluffiest bread. We tried 10 different bakeries and nothing compares. Where do we get our meat from? Nosso Talho on Bloor. Ricardo’s mom shops there, and one day the butcher asked her, ‘hey, is your son still doing that steak sandwich thing in the backyard? I’ve got just the thing for him.’ It was a beautiful harmony that sprouted from that conversation.…” They care about their neighbours… what a concept.
But wait, there’s more… these boys are no one trick pony… you would think a place named BEAR Steak Sandwiches would only sell, well, steak sandwiches… No, no, no. They added a pork sandwich. “We took a couple of trips to New York and L.A. and found this space that was doing a South-Philly inspired pork sandwich which in turn, inspired ours! It’s got roast pork, sharp provolone and rapini on top, served with a cup of jus, so you have to dunk it!”
And that’s all folks. The story of two friends making sandwiches, which is something I can relate to… many, many, many of my high school (and post high school) days were dedicated to this—there were peanut butter sandwiches in grade 9, made so thick that the diner was able to scrape the excess PB from the roof of his mouth and make another sandwich (if he chose to do so). Those were great, but it was the creations I made with my buddy Pete on his mother’s sandwich maker that still resonate today. The sandwich maker, turned white Wonder Bread and a filling of your choice into four toasted, triangles of gooey goodness. We would butter four slices of bread, spread some tomato sauce, add some sliced soporasatta and cheese, then lock up the maker until the little green light told us it was ready. Eat and repeat until the whole loaf was gone… unfortunately, unlike Ricardo and Aki, neither of us had a desire to share our creations with any friends or neighbours.
BEAR STEAK SANDWICHES
550A COLLEGE ST
TORONTO, ON
BEARSTEAK.CA
BEAR’s original steak sandwich
[MAKES 1]
INGREDIENTS
- 1 FRESH PAPO SECO
- 8OZ BEEF FLANK STEAK
- RICKY’S CHIMS
- SALT
DIRECTIONS
- Liberally season the flank steak with salt.
- Grill the flank steak until it reaches an internal temperature of 130F and let rest for at least 5 minutes. Alternatively, for an extra tender bite, sous vide the flank steak to the desired. temperature and then quickly finish the steak on the grill. (no more than 30 seconds per side).
- Slice the flank steak against the grain in ¼ – ½ inch slices.
- Slice the papo seco in half and lightly toast the inside until slightly golden.
- Lay the slices of meat in the sandwich and add Ricky’s Chims* on top to taste.
Chiminurri
INGREDIENTS
- 1/3 CUP OLIVE OIL
- 2TBSP RED WINE VINEGAR
- 1 CUP FRESH FLAT-LEAF PARSLEY (FIRMLY PACKED)
- 1/4 CUP FRESH CILANTRO (OPTIONAL)
- 1TSP OREGANO
- 1/4TSP RED PEPPER FLAKES
- 1/2TSP SEA SALT
- 1/4TSP FRESHLY GROUND PEPPER
- 3-4 GARLIC CLOVES
- 1 SMALL SHALLOT
DIRECTIONS
- Combine parsley, cilantro, red wine vinegar, onion, garlic, salt, oregano, hot pepper flakes, and pepper in a food processor**; pulse a few times. Pour olive oil in slowly, while pulsing, until chimichurri is chopped, but not mushy.
- Let rest for at least 10 minutes so that flavours can blend. If letting sit for longer, refrigerate and return to room temperature before serving.
- Remaining chimi can last up to 2-3 weeks in a refrigerated container.
CHEF’S NOTES:
* IF YOU DON’T HAVE RICKY’S CHIMS ON DECK, WE’VE INCLUDED A CHIMI RECIPE TO SATISFY IN THE MEANTIME.
** ALTERNATIVELY, FINELY CHOP YOUR INGREDIENTS AND WHISK TOGETHER IN A BOWL.
WORDS: DAVID GANHÃO
PHOTOS: NOAH GANHÃO
