By Ariel Yong
When a small committee of restaurateurs pitched the idea of a sandwich contest to the City of Fredericksburg, Julie Perry had to agree.
“Sandwiches are hot,” Perry says. “[The restaurateurs] were just seeing a popular explosion on sandwiches. People were turning everything into sandwiches. There are TV shows on sandwiches.”
The FXBG Sandwich Invitational will take place on July 31 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Hurkamp Park in downtown Fredericksburg. Tickets cost $25 per person and entitle patrons to sample-size sandwiches from each of the 13 participating restaurants (full list below). According to Perry, there will also be food samples from other local restaurants.
Three judges—Bob Whittingham, owner of Whittingham and The Kitchen at Whittingham; Ricardo Willis, chef instructor at Stratford University Falls Church; and food photographer Aaron Spicer (who has worked for Northern Virginia Magazine)—will award a $750 prize to one sandwich and its creator and crown the first ever 2014 Sandwich King. Ticket holders can vote for a $500 People’s Choice winner.
The Sandwich Invitational serves as a kick-off to Fredericksburg’s annual Summer Restaurant Week, which runs from August 1 -10 and features two courses for $20. Perry says the sandwich contest is as an attempt to add some “extra pizzazz” to the 10-day dining event.
“We’re just proud of all the things they do,” says Perry. “I just think this is a nice way to showcase that.”
FXBG Sandwich Invitational
25 30 Espresso
Bistro Bethem
Brock’s Riverside Grill
Capital Ale House
Eileen’s Cafe and Bakery
Fizzlebottom’s
foode
J. Brian’s Tap Roop
Kenmore Inn
Lizz Creative Juices
Mason-Dixon Cafe
Sprelly
The Bavarian Chef
