In Rome, one of the longest lines for food leads to the door of Forno Campo de’ Fiori. At the end of that line is pizza bianca, un-topped pizza that is cut to order, folded in half, and eaten with glee from a plain brown wrapper. That same bread is used to cradle a few choice ingredients to form simple but amazing sandwiches.

That’s precisely the sort of experience that visitors to Affettati in Little Italy will discover. Each day, Kevin Dawe arrives early to bake the bread that will form the backbone of the sandwiches he prepares. Located in a nondescript storefront next to Valerio’s, Affettati is delightfully uncomplicated, offering just five sandwiches, bagged chips and a handful of beverages. Those sandwiches are pre-made, wrapped in wax paper, and placed on display in coolers.

Dawe, who works alone in the small open kitchen, learned the ins and outs of both baking and light butchering at his family’s Wooster-based deli. He is limited by the amount of bread he can bake each morning, which is limited by the size of his oven. It’s an old-school approach that places quality above quantity. The bread is wrapped around choice ingredients like fresh ricotta and mozzarella, sliced prosciutto and salami, and a very small number of condiments.

“I’m not a chef, so I keep it simple: good bread, good meats, put them together,” he explains. “If it’s good on a pizza, it will work in a sandwich.”

Dawe’s bread is thin and super-crispy on the outside, but airy, rich and tender within. The #1 ($12) is judiciously layered with sliced prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, ricotta, red onion and arugula. The #2 ($12) stars coppa, salami, prosciutto, creamy burrata and some pickled sweet peppers. Another contains smoked ham, tomato and cheddar and there are a couple of vegetarian sandwiches as well.

Open not quite two months, Affettati runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays – walk-ins only. Dawes says that Sundays might soon be added, as well as a new line of sandwiches built on different bread. After bringing in a second oven, Affettati will offer sandwiches starring deli meats like roast beef and turkey.

Affettati
12401 Mayfield Rd., Cleveland

Subscribe to Cleveland Scene newsletters.

This article appears in Jul 17-30, 2024.

Food & Drink

At Affettati in Little Italy, Simplicity is the Name of the Game for Dynamite Sandwiches

“Good bread, good meats, put them together”

by Douglas Trattner July 17, 2024August 12, 2025

Douglas Trattner

For 25 years, Douglas Trattner has worked as a full-time freelance writer, editor and author. His work as co-author on Michael Symon's cookbooks have earned him four New York Times Best-Selling Author honors, while his longstanding role as Scene dining editor has garnered awards of its own.

More by Douglas Trattner