The Gerber is an open-faced sandwich made in St. Louis, Missouri.

The Gerber consists of a half section of Italian or French bread, spread with garlic butter and topped with ham and Provel cheese (the original sandwich was made with provolone), seasoned with a sprinkling of paprika and then toasted.

[1] The "Gerber Special" was first made by the local family-owned Ruma's Deli, and named after their customer and next-store-neighbor, Dick Gerber.

[1][2] Mr. Gerber owned a tire store next to Ruma's Deli in the Covington Manor strip center, and the Rumas would allow him to create his own sandwich in their kitchen for a small fee.

Dee and Tom Ruma were so impressed with the sandwich he concocted one day that they added the sandwich to the menu in 1973.