A Sandwich Party

The very best kind that there ever was.

This past weekend, we celebrated the first annual Sandwich Party. The clock struck noon, and there was a collective exhale of both relief and surprise as Carlos kicked open the doors of Shed 5 and welcomed an onslaught of people. More people than many anticipated—and that sentiment rang throughout the entire event.

For those who have run or participated in the chaos that is event planning, you know. There’s a level of pride in knowing that what you’re building benefits the community it serves, but there’s also the uneasy anticipation as the date approaches (especially year one) and everyone wonders what the turnout will be like on a holiday weekend with Jazz Fest and Hamtramck’s Labor Day Fest happening simultaneously.

So, before I dive in further, a special shoutout to the three who really made this event possible—Carlos, Bekah, and Will. And, of course, the sponsors that donated money, time, and energy. Seriously, well done!

I was catching up with my Minnesotan food friend / ladybird / double mint twin from Western’s writing department via text this morning. We were exchanging favorites of our food-filled weekend festivities since she attended Minnesota’s State Fair, and I met her photos of fried delicacies and butter sculptures with a photo of my brother taking a bite of my remaining mortadella Marrow sandwich while his other hand grasps his from Mudgie’s, along with an Anthology coffee tonic.

Her favorite bite—deep fried cream cheese olives on a stick or the apple cider freezypop. My favorite bite—I respond that it honestly was more about the people than the sandwiches, but offer up a tie between Saffron de Twah’s tangier sandwich (the black pepper crust on that meatloaf was swoon worthy), and Michigan and Trumbull’s Pittsburg pizza sandwich which put the best waffle fries in the city (don’t @ me), meat, and coleslaw, between thick slices of focaccia.

Every sandwich I took a bite of was delicious. They also took me on a bit of a nostalgic journey of my time in the industry, which was further highlighted by a shed filled with past bosses, coworkers, and regulars that used to post up at my bar who have all now become very good friends and big supporters of mine and Ian’s creative endeavors.

The egg sandwich from Alba had the fluffy bounce that’s remniscent of the space’s predecessor Astro—and the early morning coffee and sandwich runs I’d make for the brewery when we weren’t carbo loading on Honeybee Market’s breakfast burritos. Shewolf’s Porchetta Sandwich took me back to the very first bite I’ve ever had of Porchetta—crafted by the ever talented Elliot who gave me a lesson on the beauty of cooking low and slow when we were building out the opening menu for Alpino’s Aperitivo series. The bite of ice cream sandwich from Cold Truth that a friend offered me, took me back to college summers at the wine bar, where the other servers and I would take turns dipping into the walk-in to stuff our faces with the freezer burnt treats one of us purchased from the ice cream truck that would park on the walking district. The Chicken Katsu Sando from Noble Fish had my youngest brother going up for seconds, and even debating thirds, until they scratched it off of their small sandwich board with a finality that felt deafening as they sold out.

And speaking of, there were so many sandwiches we didn’t have the opportunity to try because they sold out or because our group, though small but mighty in terms of how much food we can eat, literally had to tap out.

This event was about so much more than just sandwiches. Even with our pin-the-bacon-on-the-BLT game, Ian’s sandwich party logo literally everywhere around the shed, and the draw-your-dream-sandwich station that filled the wall with sandwich art, the focus wasn’t just on the food. It felt like a party for the industry—an excuse for everyone to come together and celebrate this incredible community we've built.

The sandwich was more of a vessel, a way to bring us all together in one space, quite literally "sandwiching" us into a moment of shared joy. Like, hey check us out, we’re all doing really cool shit together and let’s just take a moment to recognize all that hard work.

And what a space to be in.