Best sandwich in Sandwich? Taste of Sandwich contest to decide

20 vendors will offer food at the event, and seven restaurants will compete for the Best Sandwich in Sandwich

The line to get into the Taste of Sandwich stretched across Railroad Street in the city’s downtown before the tents opened at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 28 2022.

Seven restaurants will compete against each other next week as part of a contest to determine which restaurant serves the best sandwich in Sandwich.

The Best Sandwich in Sandwich Contest will make its debut during the annual Taste of Sandwich event, which will take place from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Sept. 25 in downtown Sandwich.

Contestants include Brothers Restaurant, Gamblers Signature Sandwiches, Bull Moose, The Old Tyme Inn, Star Café 34, Derailed and Edgewood Country Club.

“The restaurant community has responded very well,” Sandwich economic development and tourism director Don Aleksy said during Monday’s Sandwich Committee of the Whole Council meeting. “They all have pride in what they do and they want to be part of it.”

Three judges, including Sandwich Mayor Todd Latham, will judge the sandwiches on not just taste, but also presentation and execution.

Such criteria are used in food competitions, including the World Food Championships. The day of the event all competitors will present a complete sandwich for display as well as individual smaller samples for the judges.

Aleksy hopes the contest will become a yearly tradition.

“I think the excitement for this is really good,” he said.

In addition to the contest, more than 20 vendors will offer sample portions of a variety of foods. Tickets for the event are $8 and can be bought that day or pre-purchased at the Sandwich Park District office, located at 1001 Latham St., Sandwich.

Other activities will also take place in downtown Sandwich that week, including the Fox Valley Community Services’ 29th annual Craft Show Under the Big Top, which will go from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 26. That event will be held at the Railroad/Main Street parking lot downtown.