I just had to ask… “Is this new show the greatest thing since sliced bread?”
“It is the best thing since sliced bread on sliced bread”.
That’s Adam Richman, the man in the “Man vs. Food” tv empire, talking about the premiere of his upcoming new tv series on Travel Channel.
“Adam Richman’s Best Sandwich in America,” premieres Wednesday, June 6 at 9:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., ET/PT,
“I’ve always appreciated the sandwich because, in essence, at the risk of sounding too esoteric, it really is just your imagination bounded by two pieces of bread. It’s whatever you want it to be in any incarnation.”
And if you have an appetite for competition, bring it! As Adam helps America crown the “king” of the sandwich, pitting region against region in a March Madness style competition. 30 sandwiches from 27 cities in ten geographical regions will go bread to bread for the ultimate title!
I got a chance to chat with Adam about the new show and asked him about his “sandwich personality”, (if there is such a thing); what’s long island’s best sandwich; and since the Brooklyn born TV Star has lots of family here on Long Island, I invited him to lunch sometime. I’ll let you know if he takes me up on it. Here’s more of our interview. And be sure to check out the sneak peak for the show below.
Life is Sweet: I was wondering if you had your own sandwich, the Adam Richman sandwich, what would it be in this very moment?
Adam Richman: Oh my gosh, at this very moment? I don’t know. At any given time I guarantee it would have some kind of fried egg, and some kind of avocado. I don’t know anything else about that but just pretty much I love those things together in any variant.
Life is Sweet: Your sandwich personality is sloppy, is that it? It’s got to be sloppy?
Adam Richman: Not at all. No, no, no, don’t confuse the runny egg with sloppy. You can — no, no, hardly, hardly. No, no, I think that my sandwich personality — I don’t even know what that means but, no, for me, I think that it’s about a variety of ingredients, a variety of textures and it’s all about creating a spectrum, both texturally and taste wise that not only you can experience as you bite into it but that further develops upon chewing it.
Life is Sweet: You’re a New Yorker, I’m a New Yorker. I’m on Long Island and I was wondering is there a quintessential Long Island sandwich that you love?
Adam Richman: Whatever it is, it’s definitely served in a diner.
Life is Sweet: For sure.
Adam Richman: I mean, my family is a lot on the Island. I always laugh. It’s like land of 10,000 diners all owned by a man named Nick. You know, I think for me I love — my diner, my go-to diner sandwich, like if I’m at a diner, unless I’m ordering something signature from that place, if I’m ordering a sandwich at a diner, I like the chicken salad BLT like the chicken salad bacon, lettuce, tomato sandwich, you know, fries and if I’m back in Brooklyn sometimes I’ll do a Cherry Lime Rickie or whatever.
But if I’m going to do a sandwich at a diner, and not a breakfast sandwich, that’s what I’ll do is the chicken salad, bacon, lettuce, tomato. If they have avocado, yes, I will jump in there as well and I will ask for hot sauce and I will be incredibly, incredibly happy and then, you know, go back with my cousin to their house in Hewlett and play with my little eight-year-old cousins.
Life is Sweet: Is that where your family is from, Hewlett?
Adam Richman: No, I mean, I’m Brooklyn root to the fruit but I’ve got family on the Island from Roslyn, Lynbrook, Hewlett, Syosset
Life is Sweet: Okay, because I’m a FiveTowner so when you come by, we’ll go to the diner. We’ll hit the Sherwood!
Adam Richman: Yes, Grandma used to live at 52 Cricket Club Drive back in the day. So my uncle is out in Syosset not too far from Woodbury Commons and he’s actually in Woodbury technically. And yes, my cousins grew up in (The Five Towns) And so, yes, I spent many a time at the Golden Coach and The Sherwood and the beat goes on.