It’s time for chefs and restaurants to face off in Key West’s Annual Cuban Sandwich Throwdown. Created by Frita’s Cuban Burger Cafe and hosted at the famous Green Parrot Bar, this fundraiser for The Learning Center of Key West invites music lovers, foodies, and fans of quirky events to sample their way through classics while voting for their favorites.
Sometimes, there is quite the spin, as the event calls for both traditional and non-traditional entries. Recent years have included Cuban Báhn Mis and a Caribbean chicken style sandwich. The only criteria for “non-traditional” submissions are that sandwiches are pressed on Cuban bread.
Categories are further broken down to include restaurants and food trucks and amateur chefs to be voted on by the public. In addition, there is a panel of judges, who cast their own choices for awards. While a few judges return each year, event founder Marcia Weaver tries to rotate out the rest to create a different blend of personalities to decide new outcomes. Many of the judges often bring their own following through constituents, brand supporters, or their background in the culinary arts.
Winners have previously included popular names like Sandy’s, Kaya Island Eats, Frita’s, and Havana Cabana to name a few.
Popular local personality and drag bingo host, Qmitch, will return as the hilarious host of the afternoon proceedings. As a longtime member of the island’s nonprofit event circuit, Qmitch appreciates how much this event rallies the community for a good cause and invites visitors to lend their culinary perspective.
“It definitely has local flair. Tourists should get more involved because they will be a good judge of who can make the best sandwich. They’re not jaded or predisposed to what a Cuban sandwich might taste like,” he said.
This year will also feature an appearance by the Mutant Ninja Turtles Mariachi Band throughout the afternoon.
Weaver explained that Cuban sandwiches are part of the culinary DNA of the island. She went on to add that Key West is definitely a Cuban sandwich destination in South Florida and the wider U.S.
“We all know what we like. As restaurants, we all claim to have the best so, it’s time once again to throw it down!”
Visit FritasCubanBurgers.com for more information.
The annual Key West Cuban Sandwich Throwdown is April 26 from 12-3 p.m. at Green Parrot Bar.
