New Hampshire: Moe's Italian

Sandwich served: August 13, 2013

I'm sure I'm not the first person to be called into a conference room by her boss only to find out that she'll be moving on in two weeks. Questions that typically arise are: where are you going? Who will be filling your position? Who will I report to in the interim? When is your last day? And, why are you leaving me?? I was sure to hit all of the above, but the most important question I asked Anne was: will you come over for the New Hampshire sandwich before you move to Seattle? Amidst planning a cross-country move and tying up multiple projects at work, Anne and her boyfriend, Dave, joined us for a sandwich.

Anne's brother lives in New Hampshire [New Hamster, to her nieces] and is lucky to receive an annual package of the state's fresh seafood. But the sandwich I chose highlights one man's fish-less specialty. In 1959 Phil "Moe" Pagano opened a sandwich shop with only one item on the menu: a Moe's Italian. Today there are fourteen franchises scattered about New Hampshire and one in Maine. The menu has expanded over the six decades, but the main event is still the Moe's Italian sandwich.

As we toted our footlong feasts up to the roof, our only wish was that we had gotten together sooner. Anne and Dave – you always have a place to stay when you're in Chicago and I wish you all the best in Seattle. I can only hope we get to work together again someday. 

The making of sandwich #32: