The Eagles’ best quarterback over the last 50 years? I’ll consider WIP’s Glen Macnow’s take. Who builds the best sandwich – not so much. For the past three years, Glen and his band of merry eaters have saddled up and chowed down in search of Philadelphia’s greatest eating traditions. Two years ago it was John’s Roast Pork for cheesesteaks; last year, Paesanos their hoagie. Close both times, but not out of the park. Steve’s Prince of Steaks rules cheesesteaks and Sarcone’s Deli wins over Paesanos by inches.

This year Macnow strikes out on a “Sandwich Safari” and is really mucking it up. He has grouped Philadelphia pork sandwiches with basic sandwiches. Philadelphia serves more great pork sandwiches than cheesesteaks or hoagies. If ever a sandwich deserves its own annual contest.

Odder still, Macnow’s Sandwich Safari rating system. The top rating is “To die for.” Kinda metrosexual for a sports guy. You don’t hear, “ Yo, the roast pork with broccoli rabe is to die for” all that often in the line at Tony Luke’s. Sort of like a couple of regulars at Dirty Frank’s comparing Philadelphia sandwich “genres” over bottles of Rolling Rock.

The eat-off finals for the sandwich challenge is Thursday, July 22, at the Fieldhouse at 11th and Filbert. As of now, Nick’s Roast Beef at 20th and Jackson heads the list. Can’t argue with that. The Schmitter is a sound second. Then it gets murky. Along with pork sandwiches – meatball, chicken parm, even Vietnamese bahn mi. Macnow is comparing apples to oranges to ‘57 Chevies.

Sandwiches are missing from Macnow’s list. Little Pete’s spectacular Reuben – oozing more grease per bite than any other Philadelphia sandwich; Cajun Kate’s brisket po boy, maybe the best sandwich this side of Bourbon Street; even Sam’s Morning Glory Diner’s perfectly balanced BLT.

It is probably a little late to salvage the Sandwich Safari’s credibility. At least, take the pork sandwiches of the list. That should be next year’s competition. And if it was my call, I’d put one of the pros from Unbreaded.com on the judging panel.

To kick off BarCampPhilly, a user generated conference about collaboration, the organizers have put together an event that focuses on beer. Hosted by Two Guys On Beer’s Dave Martorana and Johnny Bilotta, BeerCamp Philly will focus on the creative and collaborative nature of DIY homebrewing. Local homebrewers will come together to pour tastings of their creations, as well as discuss the art and geekery that goes into every beer. Great local craft brewers will be on the scene as well including Stoudt’s Brewing Company, Sly Fox Beer, and Flying Dog Brewery. Proceeds from the event benefit Philabundance.

What’s beer without a little snack? Kick those peanuts and pretzels to the floor, as Unbreaded will be on the scene to pair each of these delicious brews with sandwiches from our friends at Paesano’s. We’ll be tweeting from the event to talk about the flavors of each beer and sandwich, so be sure to follow us.

That leaves us with this final thought for the weekend: what is your favorite beer and sandwich pairing? Perhaps a burger with a hoppy IPA, or a tuna sandwich with a nice crisp, wheat beer. Let us know in the comments!

The po’ boy is the quintessential New Orleans sandwich. The crusty French bread, and toppings varying from breaded shrimp, and soft-shell crab, to roast beef au jus, help to tell a story of the sandwich makers behind the counter. In ten days, The New Orleans Po-Boy Preservation Festival will bring together 40 restaurants to share their sandwiches and stories with attendees. Scheduled events range from storytelling of New Orleans history, the art of streetcar maintenance, and even “Ultimate French Bread Fighting”, a mysterious showdown that pits Jared Fogle of Subway fame against a representative from John Gendusa Bakery.

To countdown to the event, John T. Edge journeyed in and out of some of N’awlins most famous po’ boy shops. He finds that many are keeping it real, building sandwiches the same way they were 80 years ago. Others are struggling to survive, using lower quality ingredients, resulting in lower quality sandwiches, that appeal only to tourists buying into the hype, not the tradition. Still, shop owners are adamant about standing up against the impeding chains, as Subways and Quizno’s are slowly creeping into the area. We must fight to keep these iconic shops alive, or the history and culture of the land will die with the sandwiches that represent them.

Saving New Orleans Culture, One Sandwich at a Time [The New York Times]

Even soup people love sandwiches.  Campbell Soup Company, in partnership with Bartram’s Garden and Richard Allen Preparatory Charter School in Philadelphia, are teaching kids how to grow and prepare fresh and healthy foods.  The Seed To Sandwich program teaches middle school students how to plant and harvest garden vegetables, and how to prepare them into sandwiches.

Last year, Campbell donated 25 packs of tomato seeds for seventh graders to plant at America’s oldest botanical garden.  Today Campbell research and development chefs showed students how to incorporate the tomatoes they planted, along with other vegetables, into healthful soups and sandwiches.

Seed to Sandwich reinforces Campbell’s commitment to childhood nutrition and making healthy school lunches more accessible. Last November, Campbell expanded and reformulated its line of soups offered in schools to meet the standards outlined by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation – a partnership between the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation. Campbell was one of the first participants to join the initiative in 2006.

Great sandwiches have more than just flavor. They have character.

At Sandwich Smash 2009, some of Philadelphia’s best sandwich makers are coming together for the first time to share the love for sandwiches and to do something good for the community. Proceeds from the event will benefit Philabundance, the Delaware Valley’s largest hunger relief organization.

The audience will be served a five-course meal of the featured sandwiches plus food and drinks from our sponsors: Anheuser-Busch, Herr’s and Capogiro.

As part of the event, we are launching sandwiches fight hunger: a peanut butter and jelly food drive for Philabundance. Our goal is for people to donate something as simple as peanut butter to help Philabundance feed hungry families.

Please help us spread the word for the event and our sandwiches fight hunger food drive.

How You Can Give:

- Request free shipping supplies from the USPS.
- Drop off food directly to Philabundance’s warehouse.
- Hold a peanut butter food drive in your office.
- Buy the SANDWICHES FIGHT HUNGER shirt.

Facts about hunger:

- One 18oz jar of peanut butter makes 14 sandwiches according to Jif Peanut Butter.
- Philabundance provides enough food for approximately 65,000 meals a week.
- There are approximately 900,000 food insecure people in the Delaware Valley.
- Peanut Butter is an item that Philabundance almost never gets donated from the manufacturer and therefore must either purchase to give to agencies or rely on people to donate it through food drives – that is why this food drive is so important.
- Peanut Butter is a healthy food and very high in protein, something people who are food insecure may lack in their diet.
- September is Hunger Action Month

It is with great pleasure that Ben Kessler and Jeff Vogel, creators of Unbreaded, announce Sandwich Smash. The event will showcase five of Philadelphia’s premiere restaurant professionals, who will perform chef demos in front of a live audience and tell stories that go behind the food. This non-competitive event will be hosted by Esquire Food Editor Ryan D’Agostino, who will be interviewing the chefs on stage while they cook and moderating questions from the audience.

The audience will enjoy a five-course tasting menu of the featured sandwiches, plus beverage and dessert service from our sponsors.

Participants

Chef Michael Solomonov, Zahav
Chef Peter McAndrews, Paesano’s
Chef Arthur Cavaliere, Parc
Rick Olivieri, Rick’s Steaks
Mark Coates, Bebe’s BBQ

October 4th, 2009
5:00PM – 8:00PM
Park Hyatt Philadelphia
Grand Ballroom

Seating is limited and tickets are available now for reduced pre-sale pricing until 8/17. Additional information, including event sponsors and charity fundraiser, will be made available at on or before September 1st. Visit sandwichsmash.com to learn more and sign up for e-mail updates.

For those who want some greasy sandwiches with their exercise, check out Carolyn Wyman’s cycling tour of South Philadelphia’s most beloved cheesesteak shops.  The ride is a personal tour led by Wyman, author of The Great Philly Cheesesteak Book.  The ride is free, but $2 bites of sandwiches will be available at each stop, as well as autographed copies of the book.

For a sampling of the historical context and backstories you’ll get along the way, check out this excerpt from the book about Jim’s Steaks.

The Great Philly Cheesesteak Book is available at Amazon and join Carolyn Wyman on Saturday, July 11th for a ride through sandwich history, beginning at noon at Sonny’s Famous Steaks.

[Read more: Cheesesteak Bicycle Ride]

Tomorrow Ben Kessler and Jeff Vogel, co-founders and editors of Unbreaded will give a presentation at Ignite Philly on the concept behind the website and the state of the sandwich in society today. For those unfamiliar with the event, here is a blurb from their site:

Ignite is a rapid style of presentation where speakers have only five minutes to talk about a passionate subject. Each presenter is accompanied by 20 slides advancing automatically every 15 seconds. Ignite was started in Seattle in 2006 by Brady Forrest and Bre Pettis. Since then 100s of 5 minute talks have been given across the world. Each Ignite is independently organized on a local level and there are thriving Ignite communities in Seattle, Portland, Paris, and NYC.

The event will be held at Johnny Brenda’s, a great place for sandwiches and beer. Please come out to support Ben and Jeff and to learn more about what they’re building.

Event details:

Ignite Philly 3 – Saturday May 2, 2009
Doors – 7pm, Presentations – 8pm
Johnny Brenda’s 1201 N. Frankford Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19125 (Google Map)