The Bambino
“Main Street in Midvale is on the verge of becoming something really special,” said David Gardiner, co-owner of The Bambino, the wood-fired pizza spot tucked beside Cactus & Tropicals. “The city has been so committed to reviving it without ruining it.”
David has lived in Salt Lake City his entire life, but even he sounded surprised by what he felt the first time he walked down that stretch of Main Street. He grew up in the Avenues in a large Mormon family of ten children, the ninth in line and the youngest boy, surrounded by older siblings who looked out for him. Much of his childhood was spent outdoors: sports, camping, and time with family. Salt Lake has always felt both expansive and intimate. “I cannot go anywhere in this town without meeting someone who knows one of my siblings,” he shared. “Someone always says, I went to school with him, or I worked with her.”
David stayed close to home for college, earning his undergraduate degree at the University of Utah, but his professional path soon took a surprising turn. “You will never believe it,” he laughed. “I am actually a veterinary pathologist.”
It was not a career he mapped out with a master plan. He describes himself as a bit of a contrarian, someone drawn to paths that felt different. “I always liked the idea of doing something most people were not doing,” he explained. He loved animals, grew up around horses, and kept coming back to the idea that veterinary medicine felt meaningful and hands-on. He went on to earn his veterinary degree from Cornell University, graduating in 2006, marrying his wife Morgan midway through school.
As he moved through veterinary training, his thinking shifted. He initially imagined himself as a rural veterinarian, driving from farm to farm, but the realities of debt, lifestyle, and long-term sustainability forced him to pause. He began exploring nontraditional paths within veterinary medicine - research, public health, laboratory work - and discovered pathology. The work appealed to him intellectually and practically. It was challenging, analytical, and impactful, without requiring the lifestyle he had begun to question.
For his pathology residency, David chose Colorado State University, drawn not only by the program but by the West itself. “I missed the mountains,” he said. “My friends in Colorado would wake up at 4:30 in the morning to go ski. I kept thinking, I am from Salt Lake. I do not ski if it takes more than thirty minutes to get there.”
He completed his residency in 2009, and his early career took the family to Sacramento, where David joined IDEXX Laboratories. There, he found himself doing work that most pet owners never see but rely on deeply. A veterinarian removes a lump, sends it out, and David determines what it is - benign or something that needs further care. He eventually moved into leadership, managing pathology operations across the West Coast, and gained firsthand experience in running complex systems.
An unexpected call eventually brought David back to Utah. ARUP Laboratories, the large diagnostic lab affiliated with the University of Utah, reached out about its veterinary division. The idea of buying a laboratory felt daunting until a friend reframed it. Think of it like buying a veterinary practice. That single sentence shifted everything. David purchased the division in 2013, grew it steadily, and later saw it acquired by Zoetis, the largest animal health company in the world.
The acquisition clarified something essential. David had become an entrepreneur. He thrived in nimble environments, identifying problems and moving quickly. Large corporate structures moved too slowly for his instincts. He stepped away from management and returned to what he loved most - practicing pathology - just as another, entirely different idea quietly took shape.
Bear Lake had been a constant throughout his life. “It was heaven on earth for me,” he said. Family vacations there were sun-soaked and simple, and as an adult with four children of his own, he wanted more reasons to be there. What he did not love were the long summer lines in Garden City. “You can stand forever just to get a burger,” he noted.
His solution was straightforward. Open something small, nearby, and good. David called Josh Stewart, a lifelong friend he had known since the age of four. Josh was at a crossroads, ready for a change, and David had a clear vision. Josh asked if he could do a restaurant with David. “Yes,” was David’s reply. Keep it simple - only pizza, great ingredients. In 2023, the two opened a modest wood-fired pizza spot called Gladys’ Pizza, named for the original owner of the building. Gladys’ Pizza became a true hole-in-the-wall success – unpretentious, focused, and quietly loved. About a year later, that small operation led to something much bigger.
One weekend, David’s neighbor Jeff Beck, a real estate developer, stopped by Gladys’ Pizza with his family. He tasted the pizza and immediately saw its potential beyond Bear Lake. At first, David resisted. He already had a full career, a family, and one restaurant. Still, he agreed to take a look at a space in Midvale. He parked a few blocks north of the building Jeff wanted to show him and walked south along Main Street. Almost immediately, he felt it. This had once been a commercial hub. It reminded him of Sugar House when he was growing up - slightly worn, full of character, and ready for revival.
When he reached the building that would become The Bambino, David recognized the old Vincent Drug sign and knew exactly where he was standing. This was where The Sandlot had been filmed. Within minutes, he was in. He had one condition. Jeff could not just be his landlord. He had to be his partner.
Josh was hesitant to want to do The Bambino, but David said, “I would not feel right if you were not part of it.” Thus, Josh joined the team. Jeff brought in his brother Ryan Beck, and with Ryan came his wife, Madeline. She, along with Jeff’s wife Kaitlyn and David’s wife Morgan, became the creative force behind the space. If The Bambino feels warm, balanced, and effortless, it is because of this trio – from the paint colors and lighting, to the wood floors and flow of the room.
When they learned that Cactus & Tropicals was moving in next door, the partners decided to cut a passageway through the wall so the two could function as one connected experience. Guests can move freely between the two spaces without ever stepping outside. The partnership extends beyond proximity - shared events, shared seating, shared energy - creating something that is certainly rare in the small business world.
Outside, the patio tells its own story. During demolition, every original brick was saved. The kids were paid to sort them into piles. The good bricks went back onto the building. The rest became the patio floor. It is a detail that captures the spirit of the place - thoughtful, personal, and built with care.
The Bambino opened in October 2024, heading straight into what is typically the slow season for restaurants. Instead, David said it filled quickly. Learning curves were steep, but the partnership held. Locals claimed favorite nights. Families returned. Regulars emerged.
The name The Bambino is a direct nod to The Sandlot. In the film, the kids list Babe Ruth’s many nicknames – one of them being The Great Bambino. That moment inspired the restaurant’s name and its playful, understated tributes throughout the space. Not long after opening, several actors from the film reached out. Unsure if the message from the actors was real, the Bambino team took a chance and went all out. After hours, the cast came in, ate from a specially created secret menu of character-named pizzas, signed baseballs for David’s son’s team, and left behind a signed photo that now hangs on the wall.
The Bambino menu is simple and deliberate. Dough is made fresh daily and fermented for twenty-four hours. Flour is milled in Tremonton, Utah. Everything is hand-tossed. A seasonal favorite features Brigham City peaches, jalapeños, salami, honey, and mozzarella - unexpected and deeply loved. Salads are thoughtful and balanced, and the sides reflect the same care, including Kathy’s Dip, a roasted tomato, caramelized onion, and goat cheese dip named for David’s mother-in-law.
On the dessert side, Setties, named for the Gardiners’ youngest daughter, offers gelato and macaron ice cream sandwiches. The idea grew out of experiences in San Francisco where David and Morgan fell in love with the dessert and later taught themselves how to recreate it. It quickly became a signature.
David is careful to emphasize that The Bambino is not his story alone. Some partners prefer to remain in the background, but every person involved matters. This was not a solo vision. It was friends coming together, supported by a city that believed in Main Street, and a community eager for a non-chain place where people feel welcome and well fed.
That spirit carries through to how David thinks about hospitality. Perfection is not the goal. Care is. If something goes wrong, he wants people to say so: kindly, directly, in person. And when he looks around The Bambino on a busy night, with families, neighbors, and friends filling the space, David returns to where it all began. “Main Street matters,” he said. “When a city supports it the right way, and people show up for each other, something really special can happen.”
