• Melissa Pasanen
• Jacob Shane and Abby Temeles of Rogue Rabbit

Abby Temeles and Jacob Shane plan to open a Roman-inspired café called Rogue Rabbit at 9 Center Street in Burlington the weekend of April 6. The married co-owners will launch with takeout of square pizza al taglio (by the slice) and classic Italian sandwiches on house-baked bread. They will add seating, a small bar menu and espresso drinks by mid-May.

The café replaces Revolution Kitchen, whose most recent owners, mother and daughter Karen and Madison Barchowski, decided to close in January after operating for six months.

Shane, 38, co-owned Henry Street Deli from 2013 to 2018, when he founded Deli 126. He sold the Burlington bar, now renamed the 126, in 2022. Temeles, 37, has worked in marketing while helping behind the scenes with her husband's businesses.

"This is the first time we're doing something as entrepreneurial partners," she said.

The Burlington residents said they wanted to open a business in their hometown. The counter-service café will have a mix of comfortable couches and tables. "We're going for a neighborhood feel and vibe," Temeles said.

The couple described their menu as "uncomplicated, simple and clean." The pizza will be made with a soft, "focaccia-esque" dough and toppings such as tomato and mozzarella, sausage and ricotta, and pesto. Sandwiches, including mortadella with olive oil and arugula, will feature meats from Waitsfield's 5th Quarter Butchery + Charcuterie.

The couple's approach was inspired by time spent in Italy, they said, but the name comes from a vacation in North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains, where they encountered an escaped pet bunny in the road. The daring rabbit became a recurring joke. Learn more on Instagram: @roguerabbitvt.