Umami Founder Adam Fleischman Is Now Making Organic PB&J Uncrustables in LA

There’s a new tenant coming to Grand Central Market in Downtown soon, as restaurateur Adam Fleischman looks to open PBJ.LA inside the century-old food hall. If the name isn’t clear enough, this will be Fleischman’s foray into the world of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches — except without the crust.

Fleischman tells the LA Times that PBJ.LA will open soon inside the market, between Chiles Secos and DTLA Cheese. The twelve-seat stall will be focused primarily on making packaged rounds of sealed white bread (produced by an unnamed local baker) that contain peanut butter and jelly inside. Yes, they are Uncrustables, but without the Smuckers name brand association. They even have the pressed-in corners.

Saying he likes to “create disruptive models,” Fleischman goes on to tell the paper that there will actually be a variety of nut butter types and jellies, ranging from Angostura bitters and cashew butter to a rosé and stone fruit jam. The piece does touch on the product’s similarity to the ubiquitous Uncrustable — a post-school staple for any true millennial — but the PBJ.LA team is quick to step back from any comparisons. “Ours are organic and varied to the max,” says Fleischman to the Times, “And fresh and artisanal, of course.”

Courtesy Smuckers/Uncrustables

PBJ.LA will likely be ready to start crimping at Grand Central Market by August. After that, Fleischman — who recently closed his Ramen Roll restaurant in Culver City — is tackling coffee with the opening of Cold Cocked Coffee Co. in Koreatown. He’s even got an umami-focused cookbook coming down the line.

• LA’s Grand Central Market: A Complete Guide [ELA]