North Texas deli owner honors childhood classmate, now the pope, with a sandwich
What do a Grapevine deli and the Vatican have in common?
As it turns out, the man behind the counter at Weinberger's Deli grew up with the man now wearing the white robes. Now, he's honoring him the only way he knows how—by naming a sandwich after him.
Dan Weinberger, owner of the popular Grapevine shop, recently added a new item to the menu called the "Il Papa Leo." It's a tribute to Pope Leo XIV, who was recently named the first American pope, an announcement that shocked Weinberger for a personal reason.
"An American pope, number one... but number two, we went to grade school together," he said.
Weinberger and the new pope grew up in the same South Side Chicago neighborhood. They attended the same Catholic school and parish. Weinberger admits they weren't particularly close, as the pope is a few years older, but his younger brother, Billy, was an altar boy alongside him.
For Weinberger, who opened his deli in 2002 and has long paid homage to influential figures through sandwich names, this news felt personal.
"He's one of us," he said. "Just so relatable."
So, he did what he does best—he made a sandwich.
The Il Papa Leo is full of symbolism:
Lamb for the Lamb of God
Ham for the richness of the Church
Sriracha for the blood of Christ
Mozzarella to represent Italian roots
Egg for the white and gold colors of the papacy
And the final nod? The sandwich is priced at $14 in honor of Pope Leo XIV.
Weinberger says it's been selling like crazy.
"You take a bite out of it, and you put it down... then pretty soon, you don't put it down," he joked.
It's a reminder that even from a small deli in Texas, faith and food can bring the world just a little closer together.