Tom Colicchio is pretty well known for Gramercy Tavern. He’s also made a splash or two in the culinary world on a little show called Top Chef. Whether by the avenue of fame or talent, he’s endeared himself with plenty of people who would consider themselves knowledgeable about what good eating is. Currently, Wichcraft — a concept he began in 2003 with fellow chef Sisha Ortuzar — is available in Denver for delivery via Uber Eats.
On Wednesday, May 11, Denver-based virtual restaurant company Nextbite partnered with Colicchio to introduce a limited menu of the celebrity chef’s sandwiches to its first test market, with plans to extend the concept to a national audience if all goes well. The company — which has been around since its California debut in 2019, then under the name Ordermark — has been developing and testing its own in-house concepts alongside a few others with celebrity partners. Nextbite’s often single-item-oriented lines currently include Grilled Cheese Society, Crave Burger and Monster Mac alongside Packed Bowls by Wiz Khalifa and George Lopez Tacos. There are currently 17 total concepts under the Nextbite umbrella.
“What makes us different from ghost kitchens is that we operate out of existing kitchens,” said vice president of brands Mickey Citarella, noting that a large part of Nextbite’s goal is to augment local businesses’ output, allowing them to overlap their own production with proven delivery menus. Wichcraft will be the first brand that Nextbite intends to proliferate rather than generate from the ground up.
The Denver menu is a slightly truncated version of the original that was deliberately designed to only include the items that were the most travel-ready. “What are the sandwiches that are designed to be delivered delicious?” said Citarella. “This has Tom Colicchio’s name on it so we want to make sure it’s the authentic experience no matter where it’s delivered from,” he continued. Sandwiches include the turkey and avocado ($12) — with roasted turkey, avocado, bacon, balsamic onion relish and aioli — and the grilled chicken and spicy slaw ($12), which comes complete with sweet chili sambal and crema. While ingredients that are considered transferrable are sourced locally, the ciabatta is brought in from the New York original.
The pop-up itself ends in early June, though Nextbite has not disclosed a definitive date.
Wichcraft can be ordered here.
All photography courtesy of Nextbite.