I’ll be grabbing lunch at the Green Parrot Bar on Saturday, April 26.
No, not a liquid lunch — well, not entirely, although adult beverages will be involved. This is a work thing. Sort of.
This Saturday from noon to 3 p.m. is the fourth annual Cuban Sandwich Throwdown, a delicious competition among a dozen or so restaurants, caterers and food trucks to crown the best Cuban sandwich.
I’m one of the judges. (Hey, I didn’t say it was hard work.) This year, the judges’ panel also includes Mayor Dee Dee Henriquez; the world’s friendliest philanthropist, George Fernandez; Key West Cooking School executive chef Keith St. Peter; rum distiller Paul Menta; and a few others.
We’ll be tasked with eating and evaluating several of the best sandwiches on the island, and tallying our scores to determine first, second and third place. The People’s Choice Award is where everyone else comes in.
A $20 donation gets you a sky-high pile of sandwiches, each wrapped in nondescript foil and marked only with a number, and a ballot to vote for your favorites in two categories — traditional and non-traditional.
The throwdown raises money for the Learning Center of Key West. Marcia Weaver, owner of Frita’s Cuban Burger Cafe, created the contest to support the center and emphasize the importance of affordable child care, said Weaver, thanking Green Parrot manager extraordinaire Jim Fossum for hosting the event.
For tickets, visit Frita’s Cuban Burger Cafe, 425 Southard St., call 305-509-7075 or get them at the door the day of the event.
