San Antonio – On the edge of Olmos Park on the north side of the Alamo City, you’ll find a place that serves a particular type of meal. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. “This was a staple in my household, man,” said Jeremiah Burns, owner of PB&J with Tay. “I grew up with this sandwich.”
Jeremiah is the man who spreads joy around San Antonio by spreading the peanut butter. “It reminds me of these old memories, old school after school snacks and soccer games,” said Jeremiah. “You know what I mean? After grandma makes your PB&J after school, and then into my twenties and thirties. It was just like, ‘I’m broke.’ It is a good sandwich to eat. Midnight snack. It was a staple.”
Only open for lunch Tuesday through Sunday, Jermiah named his sandwich shop dedicated to the old classic, PB&J with Tay, in honor his of daughter Taylyn and his wife Taylor.
“I named it that because I love peanut butter jelly, but I also love my daughter, so I named it,” said Jeremiah. “And then she grew up and she was like, ‘Daddy, I don’t like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.’ So she’ll do Nutella and peanut butter. But no, she’s not a fan. It’s pretty ironic.”
A message therapist by day, Jeremiah needed to work the kinks out of a side hustle but he couldn’t figure out what else he should do to make ends meet. “I prayed a lot. I hit my knees and I was like, ‘What is it? What is it?’” said Jeremiah. “And I came up with, I was just talking to my wife one day and I was like, ‘What about a peanut butter and jelly restaurant?’ And I have all these wild ideas anyway, and we laughed it off and then it just wouldn’t leave me.”
Like the tried-and-true combination of a PB&J, Jeremiah’s plan came together. “I created 12 signature sandwiches and we have bacon, bananas, walnuts, double-decker, Texas toast, and then we have five jalapeno flavored jellies, strawberry, blackberry, raspberry, peach, and pineapple,” said Jeremiah. “Old Corelle plates, mason jar milk, and just making you feel like you’re at home, at grandma’s house. Get away from what’s going on in the world out there and just come and relax for a bit.”
Back in the shop behind the counter, Jeremiah is putting together one of his proudest creations. “Today we’re going to do the double-decker delight,” said Jeremiah. “It has almond butter, creamy peanut butter, walnuts, bananas, cream cheese, bacon and Nutella. It seems like a lot. It flows really well together, and it’s a big seller in our restaurant, so people like it.”
Like any sandwich, this sizable snack starts off with the bread. “We use the old school white bread,” said Jeremiah. “That’s what you get. Give too many options, it gets confusing. So it’ll be a double-decker. We have three pieces of bread.”
With the foundation of the sandwich in place, Jeremiah begins piling on the temptatious toppings. “We start with creamy on the bottom. And then we go with the almond butter,” said Jeremiah. “So we have walnuts and then we go with bananas. We have this nifty – Yeah. I get more comments on the slicer than I do the sandwiches. Then we’re going to use our strawberry jalapeno jelly on the bottom. Fresh jalapenos, cutups, fresh strawberries. We go crunchy on top. And then the last spread is going to be a whipped cream cheese, So it’s real light and fluffy. It’s like when you’re at those parties and people have the block of cream cheese and they put the jelly on top and eat it with crackers. It’s that kind of concept and it works really well together.”
The sandwich is grilled to perfection and oozes the various butters and jellies that make up the double-decker delight. Right off the bat, you pick it up and it’s till warm, soft, beautiful. Every corner you turn, there’s a new taste. The cream cheese definitely adds another layer of salty goodness that just comes out of left field, but it’s pillowy soft. Well, that bite was a ton of blackberry jalapeno jelly, which was fantastic. But then you get a little banana and then you get a little creamy peanut butter. Then you get a little crunchy peanut butter. It’s just a smorgasbord of peanut butter flavors. And then the bacon just kicks your tongue with some extra salt for the fun of it, and it’s fantastic.
Well, if you’re looking for an exquisite peanut butter and jelly experience, coming to San Antonio and visiting PB&J with Tay is definitely well worth a stop on The Texas Bucket List. “If you do anything with passion and love and kindness, it’s going to thrive no matter what you go through,” said Jeremiah.