When you first walk through its doors, there’s no confusion about where you are. “Let’s be Bread Friends” adorns the teaching kitchen’s entry arch as you walk up to the bright white tile counter, lit by lanterns that look like a sourdough cross-section. If you’re familiar with Rebel Bread, this message has existed since its inception on Curtis Street and continues to ring true in its newly renovated space on South Broadway. The one-of-a-kind bakery has become a Denver staple for a reason. It’s more than a place to grab a quick pastry, but a chance to be a part of the knead for community.
Dive had the opportunity to tour the bakery, cafe, teaching kitchen and chat with founder Zach Martinucci to learn more about how Rebel Bread is bringing its thoughtful ethos of local sourcing to Denver’s baking scene.
READ: Art You Can Eat: Denver’s Tastiest Workshops
The Space
In September 2025, Rebel unveiled its latest expansion: a sit-down café and teaching kitchen offering hands-on baking classes for bakers of all skill levels. While the space itself is not new to the bakery, the roughly 5,000-square-foot addition reflects Rebel Bread’s ongoing commitment to building community. Martinucci told us the expansion was designed to be a place where people can “slow down and connect.” The space itself feels fun and welcoming, with touches of both the past and the present. Originally built in the 90s in the Denver Design District, the building came with good bones, many of which remain today. From the original lockers to the wide windows inviting a look into the kitchens, the space feels destined to be brought to life by the people rolling out the dough and the community that continues to return.
Of course, Rebel has put its own flair on the place, from aprons for sale embroidered with its logo to the bread museum hanging on the walls of its waiting area to an entire wall-sized infographic on Rebel’s grain sourcing. Look to the far back wall by the seating area, and you’ll see a commissioned piece from one of Martinucci’s favorite artists: Olive Moya. Entitled “I Don’t Know Where to Start,” the piece encapsulates Rebel’s ability to teach others that they’re exactly where they need to be to create something from nothing. Baking is truly about trusting the process, but that process begins with care and sometimes not knowing where to start. Good thing for us, Martinucci knows exactly what he’s doing.
The Origin
Martinucci studied culinary anthropology at UCLA, and you could say food has always been a big part of his life. Rooted in a rich culinary history from his family, whose heritage traces back to Tuscany, Italy, he was always surrounded by influential cooking: “Growing up, my favorite thing was cooking,” but he didn’t always know if that passion was always his path. In college, his cousin opened a traditional French bakery, where he learned to bake sourdough in cast iron — a gold standard in baking. After becoming more comfortable with the process, Martinucci was hooked and began selling sourdough out of his college apartment. He even entered into a sourdough competition on campus and won.
This kick-started his motivation to experiment with more complex ingredients, and “from this time was when the Nonna G was born.” It’s a roasted-garlic-and-herb sourdough that tastes just like Nonna Gloria’s Sunday roast. Part of Rebel’s aesthetic renovations is its ability to honor the women and traditions that shaped its current form, and Nonna G is no exception. All of its Gino Panino sandwiches are named after influential women behind the Rebel staff. To further honor his heritage and immerse himself in the world of baking, he trained at award-winning Forno Brisa in Bologna, Italy, taking home not only new techniques but also the bakery’s community-centered philosophy before receiving his classical training at the San Francisco Baking Institute and moving to Denver to open Rebel Bread in 2018.
Rebel’s philosophy begins with the grain, and what better way to know where your ingredients come from than to have them in your own backyard? All of its baked goods are made with flour from Dry Storage Mill, a chef-driven brand dedicated to sourcing from sustainable farmers all over Colorado. “Obviously, it’s a lot more expensive and takes more time to work out details, but it also gives us a chance to speak directly with the supplier and get real-time updates and transparency about the quality of the goods,” Martinucci explained.
In doing so, a symbiotic relationship between supplier and bakery is created–a sort of sub-community before the bread even leavens. “When people know what’s in their food, they have a deeper appreciation for it, even though they can’t see every single ingredient that went into it,” he continued. Doing the sustainable thing when no one notices is exactly the recipe Rebel uses, making its quality worth returning to.
The Community
Not only is Martinucci dedicated to sourcing and delivering high-quality ingredients for Rebel, but he’s also dedicated to fostering connections within the baking community. As a board member of the 5280 Pastry Co-op, a professional organization that brings together bakers and pastry chefs, Martinucci collaborates with the group to host networking events, skills workshops, and competitions, including the annual Golden Croissant Challenge.
Outside of the co-op, Rebel Bread hosts its annual Denver Bake Fest in its parking lot, bringing together home and professional bakers to showcase what they love most and give back to a bigger cause. Last year’s event brought together around 80 competitors and raised over $10 thousand for CHOW (Culinary Hospitality Outreach and Wellness). This year’s event will mark its fourth year and take place from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. on Saturday, October 3. Visit its site for more information, including how you can enter here.
Finally, on an internal level, Rebel’s baking classes are built for everyone. With instructors Elana Berusch, Jan Kratzer, Ellyse Retana, Megan Miller, Joanne Collins, and Zach Martinucci, Rebel’s hands-on baking classes “make baking feel more accessible and fun than people might think,” expressed Retana. Classes range from pizza making, cake decorating, empanadas, croissants, and high-altitude baking at various levels. Rebel also hosts weekly sourdough pizza nights from 5 to 9 p.m. on Fridays.
“Sometimes the first time people are trying sourdough is when they first walk in our doors. I want to make it as approachable as I can,” Zach echoed.
If you’re going to Rebel Bread for the first time and are wondering what to get (per recommendation from our PR friends at Persist Publicity), you can’t skip out on the K-pop Croissant and Pistachio Orange Chocolate Chip Cookie. You really can’t go wrong with anything on the menu, if we’re being honest.
So what makes Rebel so successful? Hint: it’s not just the sourdough. The secret lies in its unwavering dedication to accessibility, approachability and creativity. Through thoughtful sourcing, a commitment to education and spaces designed for gathering, Rebel has built something that extends far beyond its ovens. By the time you leave, it’s clear that “Let’s be Bread Friends” isn’t just a slogan on the wall—it’s the philosophy that’s made Rebel one of Denver’s most beloved bakeries.
The next chapter of Rebel Bread is here, and it’s just getting things rolling.
Rebel Bread is located at 675 S Broadway, #600, Denver. Its hours are Sunday 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.; Monday closed; Tuesday-Thursday 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.; Friday 8 a.m. – 3 p.m., 5 – 9 p.m.; Saturday 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Its teaching kitchen hosts weekly classes ranging from sourdough to croissants and cookies and can be found here. Rebel Bread baked goods can be found at Huckleberry Roasters, Queen City Coffee, Leevers Locavore and across the Front Range from Leadville to Boulder to Castle Rock. All of its local partners can be found here.
