Four weeks after having your gallbladder removed, medical professionals might encourage you to take it easy on the food. Phrases like “focus on fiber” or “avoid animal fats” are something a gastroenterologist might utter. But if you’re me, you say fuck it, and attend the OKC Sandwich Showdown.
For the record, I have had no issues since surgery, and I still have an appointment on the books with my doctor for you nervous nellies who think I’m going to die. I’m fine, and I recommend really kicking the tires on your post-surgical body while you’re still under a specialist’s care so you can get the help you need after hitting that insurance deductible. I also recommend not taking any medical advice from bloggers.
The sun blazed hot on Saturday, so much so that the event was moved indoors to prevent any heat strokes and food spoilage on the First Americans Museum lawn. Chefs lined the interior of the iconic glass and metal dome, samples of their sandwiches proudly displayed on black tablecloths in front of them. A band played instrumental covers as hungry attendees lined up to taste each sandwich on offer.
Each attendee was handed two tickets at the door. These tickets were your ballot. By dropping a ticket in the cup on a chef's table, you were letting them know that you were voting for them in the People's Choice category. Separately, a panel of judges would select the showdown’s first-, second- and third-place winners.
Admittedly, this is a difficult event to write about, simply because everything I tasted was amazing. I wracked my brains after each bite, wondering what I would say when each professionally crafted sammie offered to me was just as delicious as the last. A mantra of “what would Louis Fowler write?” played in the back of my head as I tried to think of how our food writer would handle such an embarrassment of flavorful riches.
Admittedly, I didn’t come to a conclusion as to what Louis would say about this event. Though, if Patrick wanted to manufacture and sell that phrase on a bracelet, I’d totally wear one. Instead, I think I’ll share my feelings about the event, and then share the winners of this chef showdown.
It’s difficult to remember that Oklahoma has a lot to offer. Politicians are in a hurry to waste time and money on passing symbolic, pandering initiatives, while ignoring the actual issues Oklahomans actually face every single day. The cost of living is creeping up, and local employers aren’t increasing wages. Oklahoma CEOs do comic book-level villain shit, and no one would be shocked if we heard the governor spent his free time sniffing glue.
Even so, I’m so thankful for local folks working hard to further their crafts in the face of it all. And these chefs really reminded me of that. Because as I stood in a museum dedicated to the celebration of Indigenous perseverance, I got to experience culinary ingenuity and creativity. Each rich, unctuous bite hit me with different levels of flavor, and I caught myself saying “I think this is my favorite” after each one.
I know it’s stupid to say, but the real winners of the sandwich showdown were the attendees who got to taste each blessed morsel. But, for the sake of reporting on the event, here are the winners of the 2026 OKC Sandwich Showdown.
People’s Choice
Stephanie Miller, Hamilton Superette
I really, really loved this sandwich. There is something in me that needs red meat in a primal way, and this sandwich truly delivered. My husband and I both voted for this one.
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Ben Hutton, 39 Restaurant
That beautiful, flaky croissant, gang. I would lay in it and take a nap if I could. Bread is such an important part of a sandwich, and I loved how the croissant balanced out this sandwich and acted like a breath of fresh air against the other breads on offer.
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Sandwich Showdown Winners
Third Place: Isabel Granata, The Crown
This was the first sandwich we tried when we entered, and it really set the stage for the experience we had ahead of us. The sandwich was beautiful and flavorful, and it was also the moment my husband and I realized we needed to split the sandwich samples and not each get our own if we were going to have room for all the offerings.
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Second Place: Guadalupe de Jesus Aguirre, Taco Luv
Gang. This sandwich had four different types of pork on it, and it was amazing. If I could get this as a torta every single day at lunch, I would gladly. And again, both my husband and I dropped a ticket at this table as our other People's Choice vote.
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First Place: Caleb Stangroom, Tiger Style
I wish I got a better picture of this sandwich, but at one point, Stangroom lost power and was unable to prep more sandwiches. That was when I walked by and saw there was only one sandwich left. Naturally, I took it, and devoured it. It was the first time I tried headcheese, and honestly, will likely be the last since I don't think I can normally get it prepared the way Stangroom did it.
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Eating an irresponsible number of super fancy sandwiches is a pretty great way to spend an afternoon. Congratulations to the winners! And thanks to 39 Restaurant and First Americans Museum for inviting us out to the showdown and to all the chefs for a peek inside the imagination driving OKC's food scene.
