About GRandwich

Philadelphia has the cheesesteak.

Chicago has the Chicago dog.

But what does Grand Rapids have?

 Grand Rapids is a great city that should be celebrated with flavors as unique and brilliant as the people who inhabit it.  How can we take all that is great about this city and translate it into a sandwich? 

This is the challenge of local chefs from establishments in the greater downtown Grand Rapids area.  They pondered, created and perfected recipes for a sandwich they think best represents the Grand Rapids signature sandwich, or “Grandwich.” 

Who

Who knows what the Grandwich should be more than you, the Grand Rapidian?  It’s up to you to taste and decide which sandwich has the potential to be the cheesesteak or corned beef and rye of Grand Rapids.  Try as many as it takes for you to find the sandwich deserving of such an illustrious title.

The public will vote on and send its top 10 favorites for the Grandwich to a panel of judges made up of culinary experts who will crown the most deserving sandwich the Grandwich.

How

After you have tried a sandwich that you think deserves to be in the running for the Grandwich title, sign in and vote for that sandwich.  The top ten sandwiches with the most votes by July 31 will go on to the judging event.  Here’s what you should think about when voting for a sandwich:

• Use of Local Ingredients.  Does the sandwich have ingredients native to the area?  Does it feature local ingredients grown by local farms/made by local companies?
• Uniqueness.  Is this something new, fresh, never been attempted before?  Would it compete with other big city sandwiches?
• Taste.  Obviously, does it taste good?  Do the flavors jump out at you?  Do they complement each other?  Are there different textures and flavors?
• Appearance.  Does it look exciting?  Is it begging to be picked up and devoured?
• Representation.  Does this sandwich represent the tastes and interests of the people of Grand Rapids? 

When

The tasting portion of the competition begins on July 15.  The signature sandwiches will be on menus of participating businesses and open for voting until July 31. 

On August 1, the top 10 voted sandwiches will be announced.  

On August 6, join us at Rosa Parks Circle for the judging event.  Come and taste samples of the top 10 sandwiches, watch as the judges critique each sandwich and see the naming of the official Grandwich. 

Kids’ Food Basket

One thing that best describes Grand Rapids is our giving nature.  Giving back to our community is something we do well.  What better way to satisfy childhood hunger in our community, than through our hunger for a signature sandwich?  Kids’ Food Basket is an organization that delivers sack suppers to schools and parks for children in our area who might not otherwise get dinner.  

At each participating restaurant during the Grandwich competition, a donation box will be displayed to accept monetary donations.  Admission to the judging event at Rosa Parks Circle on August 6 will be a donation to Kids’ Food Basket.  This can be a monetary donation or any of the wish list items on the KFB website such as:  granola Bars, cracker packs, 100% fruit juice boxes, individual fruit cups, pudding cups, gelatin cups, 100% Vitamin C dried fruit packs (.9 oz or similar), snack size zipper-lock bags, sandwich size zipper-lock bags, kids size toothbrushes, brown/white paper lunch sacks: 8 lb. or extra large, healthy snack bags, plastic spoons, napkins or individual serving size cereal.  For more information, visit Kids Food Basket website at http://www.kidsfoodbasket.org/wish-list.