Best Sandwiches in America: Vegetarian

Winner: Crispy Eggplant

Restaurant: Pain D’Avignon, Hyannis, MA

Sandwich Creator: Chef Matthew Tropeano

Inspiration: To offer a sandwich that far exceeds the expectations of a vegetarian.

Key Ingredients: Fresh eggplant, creamy Maplebrook Farms burrata, roasted garlic white bean hummus, roasted red peppers and house-baked rosemary pocket bread.

Price: $8.50

Food Cost: $5

What the Judges Said: “In the vegetarian category, many submitted sandwiches featuring one or two of the ingredients found in this winner, but Pain D’Avignon harmoniously combined several top-notch ingredients and then cradled them in house-made bread. It was the creamy white addition of buratta that made the angels sing. We imagined John Lennon and Yoko Ono eating this sandwich during their 1969 bed-in and it made us want to give peace a chance. That’s all we are saying.”

Honorable Mentions

Chopped Chickpeas by Sisha Ortuzar, ’Wichcraft, New York City

Hippie Sandwich by Brian Bullock of STATS Food & Drink, Atlanta