Subway Sandwich Makers Race to Be the Best

The third time was a charm for Neenah, Wisconsin, sandwich artist Bryon Shea, who won the 2009 Subway Sub Jammers competition in Washington, D.C., by making a "perfect" footlong submarine sandwich in 42.1 seconds.

Bryon, who came in second place during 2007 and 2008 Sub Jammer competitions, beat a field of almost 100 fellow sandwich artists from throughout the world at the recent 2009 Subway Convention. Sub Jammers are judged based on speed, sandwich appearance, content distribution, and formula accuracy. Sandwich artists taking part in the Sub Jammers competition won regional events leading up to the championship round at the annual Convention.

The competition was sponsored by Otis Spunkmeyer Cookies and Schreiber Foods. Shea received the $3,000 top prize. Shelly Matson, from Esko, Minnesota, took home the $2,000 second-place prize with a total score 43.3. Sharon Hall, who took home the top prize the past two years, received $1,000 for her third-place finish this year with a score of 47. Hall, from Waco, Texas, set the record last year making a sandwich in the time of 38.6 seconds.

"This competition is fast-paced, fun, and one of the highlights of the convention, not just for the sandwich artists, but also for all the attendees," says Tom Coba, chief operations officer for the brand. "The sandwich artist is probably the person most responsible for creating a great experience for our customers and this competition is a great way to recognize their efforts and put a well-deserved spot light on them for a while."