Buona, Chicago’s original Italian beef, has today announced that it will bring back its legendary pepper and egg sandwich for Lenten season this year. The classic treat of delicious scrambled eggs and sautéed green peppers on Italian bread will be available at all Buona locations throughout Chicago on Wednesdays and Fridays starting February 22, 2023 through April 7, 2023. The new 2023 availability for the Lenten favorite is expanded from last year due to popular demand among area residents. 

Said to have originated in Chicago from Italian immigrants in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century, the Pepper and Egg sandwich has long been considered a cherished part of Chicago’s culinary heritage. Its notorious flavors and long history in the region spanned decades before it began to vanish from menus, leaving foodies and sandwich aficionados to search high and low for it without avail. A team of culinary experts at Buona, passionate about Chicago’s rich past, tracked down the original recipe and perfected it for today’s discerning palates. 

Buona was founded in 1981 by Joe and Peggy Buonavolanto, who dreamed of bringing Chicago flavors and opportunity to their and other families. Its signature Italian beef sandwich features clean, all-natural beef with no preservatives, seasoned with its classic family recipe and layered on fresh Italian bread. Today, Buona is the largest family-owned Italian beef restaurant group and Italian Beef producer in the country, with over 26 locations throughout the Chicago region, a growing number of franchise partners in high-growth U.S. markets, and products in dozens of major grocers across the Midwest, Arizona and Florida. Built on Italian beef, the expansive Buona menu includes sandwiches, salads and protein bowls, in addition to its Pepper and Egg Sandwich offered during Lent.