The Bellevue's Fourth Annual Sandwich Make-off, and the Winners are...
by Jackson Hunter in Delicious on 07/23/2009
Yesterday, at one o’clock marked the end of the Fourth Annual Sandwich Make-off in the Bellevue Food Court and what a day it was.
Coming to Bellevue management this summer for an internship, I have never witnessed this event, or anything else like it, and I mean that in the best way.
Entries from eight of the Bellevue Food Court vendors and the best of the best in the sandwich world competed for prestige and bragging rights, under the two categories of “people’s choice” and “judge’s choice”
The event was kicked off Monday during lunch with samples and voting ballots available to the public. The ballets allowed for just one choice of your favorite, and after personally tasting each vendor I don’t know how anyone could decide. With ballots collected and the fabulous task of counting the ballots completed (by me), part two of the competition began two days later on Wednesday with the Judge's Choice competition.
This year's judges included Kathy Orr of CBS3 and CW57, Glenn Schwartz of NBC10, John Bolaris of Fox 29, Philadelphia DA candidates Micheal Untenyer (R), Seth Williams (D), two Phillies ball girls and Jamie Smith of Philabundance.
With the judges in place and the crowd ready, on came the sandwiches, and just as they wowed the public Monday, the vendors generated similar enthusiasm for sandwiches from the judges. Entries included a Chicken Parm Wrap from Amazon, a Roasted Lamb Sandwich from Boutros, a Chicken Romano from Angelo’s, a Buffalo Chicken Wrap from Salad Works, a Chicken Sicilian from Ellen’s, The Rickter Scale sandwich from Rick’s, a BBQ beef brisket from Bassett’s and the Juan Epstein from Bain’s.
With anxious anticipation we waited for a decided winner, and John Gulino’s BBQ Beef Brisket from Bassett’s came out as the Judge's Choice winner, making this his second win in two years. The Peoples Choice went to Michael Jolles of Bain’s Deli for the Juan Epstein. With the winners announced, the crowd quickly devoured the remaining samples of the day’s specialty sandwiches. Bassett’s winning sandwich will be on the menu Monday if you want to go taste just how good it was. We look forward to next year, to see whether this year’s winners can retain their glory.
