Westchester: Wedge Sandwich
A regional sandwich name in Westchester (Yonkers) for the hero/sub/hoagie is "wedge." "According to some people, a wedge sandwich is a loaf of bread, sliced in two and filled with meats, cheese and hot peppers" was printed in The Standard-Star (New Rochelle, NY) on August 29, 1932. It's not known what establishment first served the "wedge."
"Frank Imondo, former owner of Varvaro's in White Plains, said the name may have originated with the name of the large bread roll that bakers have called a wedge. 'It's in the form of a wedge to hold the amount of meat, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers and everything else that goes into the sandwich,' he said" was printed in The Journal-News (White Plains, NY) on March 7, 1987.
The long list of the names of sandwiches served on long rolls includes blimpie, bomber, Cuban (medianoche), Dagwood, garibaldi, gondola, grinder, hero, hoagie, Italian, jawbreaker, muffuletta, peacemaker (La Mediatrice), pilgrim, pistolette, po' boy (poor boy), rocket, skyscraper, spiedie, spucky (spuckie, spukie), submarine (sub), torpedo, torta (Mexican po' boy) and zeppelin (zep).
Newspapers.com
29 August 1932, The Standard-Star (New Rochelle, NY), "As We Stroll Around" by The Stroller, pg. 3, col. 2:
According to some people, a wedge sandwich is a loaf of bread, sliced in two and filled with meats, cheese and hot peppers...According to Clem Bartnett, chief lifeguard at Hudson Park, however, a wedge sandwich is an ipediment in one's speech. Yesterday, Clem was eating a wedge sandwich in the U. S. Volunteer Life Saving Corp station during his lunch hour...In walked a foreign-speaking laborer, asking for the chief life guard...Evidently he couldn't read Clem's rank, which was written on his jersey...Before Clem could get that part of the wedge sandwich which was in his mouth clear of his vocal cords, the laborer was on his way, grumbling about his inability to find the chief.
Newspapers.com
31 August 1932, The Standard-Star (New Rochelle, NY), "As We Stroll Around" by The Stroller, pg. 9, col. 1:
Rose, FLossie and Daisy promised to give Ollie Gilligan an Italian wedge sandwich at the completion of his next long-distance swim.
Newspapers.com
14 July 1950, The Herald Statesman (Yonkers, NY), "Neighborhood Center Grows iIn Larchmont Richbell Area" by Art Chapman, pg. 13, col. 7:
Renamed the Wedge Barn and featuring huge wedge sandwiches on the premises and home catering to relieve housewives of kitchen drudgery during hot Summer days, the restaurant is situated on the extensive property of Edward I. Mead and is the first business venture of the young partners.
Old Fulton NY Post Cards
4 December 1954, Yonkers (NY) Herald Statesman, pg. 4, col. 5:
The Nedick's drive-in restaurant at 1830 Central Park Avenue, near Underhill Street, will double its size shortly with an addition to cost between $3,000 and $5,000, reports its owner, Joseph Rossetti.
Mr. Rossetti operates the restaurant under franchise from Nedicks. In addition to the Nedick specialties like frankfurters and orange drinks he has gone in for other hot foods and especially Italian "wedge" sandwiches.
His wedges, in fact, have brought him the patronage of many of the drivers of the big earth-moving trucks on the Thruway project. Noontime finds as many as a dozen of the behemoths parked outside the drive-in.
(...)
Formerly in the real estate business in the Bronx, Mr. Rossetti has operated the restaurant for 18 months.
Yonkers, Mt. Vernon, Bronxville, Tuckahoe
YELLOW PAGES
CLASSIFIED TELEPHONE DIRECTORY
1958
Corrected to January 3, 1958
Pg. 320, col. 3:
GAITO'S INN
Specializes in Hot Wedges
434SawMillRiverRd -- YOnkers 9-9269
Yonkers, Mt. Vernon, Bronxville, Tuckahoe
YELLOW PAGES CLASSIFIED TELEPHONE DIRECTORY
1960
Corrected to October 13, 1959
Pg. 315, col. 1 ad:
GAITO'S INN
YOnkers 9-9269
Specializing in
ITALIAN
HOT WEDGES
TO GO
434 SAWMILL RIVER RD.
YONKERS
Old Fulton NY Post Cards
14 November 1959, Yonkers (NY) Herald Statesman, pg. 4, col. 6:
ETRUSCAN EPICURES will be glad to know that Alfonso DiLascio of 42 Hill Ter. has opened an Italian-American delicatessen at 656 Tuckahoe Rd.
Mr. DiLascio had been pensively punting about the idea of opening a delicatessen, featuring Italian specialties, he discloses.
The new store features hot wedges of sausage, meatballs, eggplant Parmesan and pepper and eggs.
(Photo caption, col. 7 -- ed.)
OPEN FOR BUSINESS in their new Italian-American Delicatessen at 5 Tuckahoe Re. Mr. and Mrs. Alfonso DiLascio are ready to assemble one of their featured hot sausage wedges.
Old Fulton NY Post Cards
17 July 1974, Yonkers (NY) Herald Statesman, "Counsel ready for schools' defense" by James Kilgore, pg. 11, col. 3:
Munching on a ham wedge sandwich during a lunch break, Sapir leaned back in a desk chair inside his temporary office and explained his new post between leisurely mouthfuls of bread and ham.
4 August 1977, Washington (DC) Post, "Please Pass the Subs--Er, Hoagies, Er...," pg. E10:
Submarine, he (Howard Robboy of Temple University, who wrote an American Speech article on sandwich names -- ed.) found, is the most popular name for the sandwich, followed by hoagie, poor boy and grinder. In some cities they go by more than one name, such as Philadelphia, where one finds both hoagies and submarines. Other names are torpedo (Reno, San Antonio, San Diego), Italian sandwich (Louisville, Reading, Allentown), hero (New York City and Newark), rocket (Cheyenne and Cincinnati), bomber in Buffalo, mufalatta in New Orleans, Cuban sandwich in Miami, wedgie in Weschester County, N. Y. and slame in Berkeley. Norristown is the only place it is referred to as a zeppelin, and Madison the only place one finds it as a garibaldi.
Newspapers.com
4 March 1987, The Journal-News (White Plains, NY), "The wedge by many other names" by Dan Carlinsky, pg. E2, cols. 2-3:
"Maybe they're called wedges because the meat is wedged in," said Dan Cocciardi, manager of Mister C's on Mamaroneck Avenue.
Frank Imondo, former owner of Varvaro's in White Plains, said the name may have originated with the name of the large bread roll that bakers have called a wedge.
"It's in the form of a wedge to hold the amount of meat, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers and everything else that goes into the sandwich," he said.
Newspapers.com
16 May 1994, The Standard-Star (New Rochelle, NY), "The 'burb FACTS" by Mitch Broder, pg. 5C, col. 3:
Wedge: Oblong sandwich sold at pizzerias and other restaurants. Called "wedge" beccause if you eat too many, that's what you become.
"Frank Imondo, former owner of Varvaro's in White Plains, said the name may have originated with the name of the large bread roll that bakers have called a wedge. 'It's in the form of a wedge to hold the amount of meat, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers and everything else that goes into the sandwich,' he said" was printed in The Journal-News (White Plains, NY) on March 7, 1987.
The long list of the names of sandwiches served on long rolls includes blimpie, bomber, Cuban (medianoche), Dagwood, garibaldi, gondola, grinder, hero, hoagie, Italian, jawbreaker, muffuletta, peacemaker (La Mediatrice), pilgrim, pistolette, po' boy (poor boy), rocket, skyscraper, spiedie, spucky (spuckie, spukie), submarine (sub), torpedo, torta (Mexican po' boy) and zeppelin (zep).
Newspapers.com
29 August 1932, The Standard-Star (New Rochelle, NY), "As We Stroll Around" by The Stroller, pg. 3, col. 2:
According to some people, a wedge sandwich is a loaf of bread, sliced in two and filled with meats, cheese and hot peppers...According to Clem Bartnett, chief lifeguard at Hudson Park, however, a wedge sandwich is an ipediment in one's speech. Yesterday, Clem was eating a wedge sandwich in the U. S. Volunteer Life Saving Corp station during his lunch hour...In walked a foreign-speaking laborer, asking for the chief life guard...Evidently he couldn't read Clem's rank, which was written on his jersey...Before Clem could get that part of the wedge sandwich which was in his mouth clear of his vocal cords, the laborer was on his way, grumbling about his inability to find the chief.
Newspapers.com
31 August 1932, The Standard-Star (New Rochelle, NY), "As We Stroll Around" by The Stroller, pg. 9, col. 1:
Rose, FLossie and Daisy promised to give Ollie Gilligan an Italian wedge sandwich at the completion of his next long-distance swim.
Newspapers.com
14 July 1950, The Herald Statesman (Yonkers, NY), "Neighborhood Center Grows iIn Larchmont Richbell Area" by Art Chapman, pg. 13, col. 7:
Renamed the Wedge Barn and featuring huge wedge sandwiches on the premises and home catering to relieve housewives of kitchen drudgery during hot Summer days, the restaurant is situated on the extensive property of Edward I. Mead and is the first business venture of the young partners.
Old Fulton NY Post Cards
4 December 1954, Yonkers (NY) Herald Statesman, pg. 4, col. 5:
The Nedick's drive-in restaurant at 1830 Central Park Avenue, near Underhill Street, will double its size shortly with an addition to cost between $3,000 and $5,000, reports its owner, Joseph Rossetti.
Mr. Rossetti operates the restaurant under franchise from Nedicks. In addition to the Nedick specialties like frankfurters and orange drinks he has gone in for other hot foods and especially Italian "wedge" sandwiches.
His wedges, in fact, have brought him the patronage of many of the drivers of the big earth-moving trucks on the Thruway project. Noontime finds as many as a dozen of the behemoths parked outside the drive-in.
(...)
Formerly in the real estate business in the Bronx, Mr. Rossetti has operated the restaurant for 18 months.
Yonkers, Mt. Vernon, Bronxville, Tuckahoe
YELLOW PAGES
CLASSIFIED TELEPHONE DIRECTORY
1958
Corrected to January 3, 1958
Pg. 320, col. 3:
GAITO'S INN
Specializes in Hot Wedges
434SawMillRiverRd -- YOnkers 9-9269
Yonkers, Mt. Vernon, Bronxville, Tuckahoe
YELLOW PAGES CLASSIFIED TELEPHONE DIRECTORY
1960
Corrected to October 13, 1959
Pg. 315, col. 1 ad:
GAITO'S INN
YOnkers 9-9269
Specializing in
ITALIAN
HOT WEDGES
TO GO
434 SAWMILL RIVER RD.
YONKERS
Old Fulton NY Post Cards
14 November 1959, Yonkers (NY) Herald Statesman, pg. 4, col. 6:
ETRUSCAN EPICURES will be glad to know that Alfonso DiLascio of 42 Hill Ter. has opened an Italian-American delicatessen at 656 Tuckahoe Rd.
Mr. DiLascio had been pensively punting about the idea of opening a delicatessen, featuring Italian specialties, he discloses.
The new store features hot wedges of sausage, meatballs, eggplant Parmesan and pepper and eggs.
(Photo caption, col. 7 -- ed.)
OPEN FOR BUSINESS in their new Italian-American Delicatessen at 5 Tuckahoe Re. Mr. and Mrs. Alfonso DiLascio are ready to assemble one of their featured hot sausage wedges.
Old Fulton NY Post Cards
17 July 1974, Yonkers (NY) Herald Statesman, "Counsel ready for schools' defense" by James Kilgore, pg. 11, col. 3:
Munching on a ham wedge sandwich during a lunch break, Sapir leaned back in a desk chair inside his temporary office and explained his new post between leisurely mouthfuls of bread and ham.
4 August 1977, Washington (DC) Post, "Please Pass the Subs--Er, Hoagies, Er...," pg. E10:
Submarine, he (Howard Robboy of Temple University, who wrote an American Speech article on sandwich names -- ed.) found, is the most popular name for the sandwich, followed by hoagie, poor boy and grinder. In some cities they go by more than one name, such as Philadelphia, where one finds both hoagies and submarines. Other names are torpedo (Reno, San Antonio, San Diego), Italian sandwich (Louisville, Reading, Allentown), hero (New York City and Newark), rocket (Cheyenne and Cincinnati), bomber in Buffalo, mufalatta in New Orleans, Cuban sandwich in Miami, wedgie in Weschester County, N. Y. and slame in Berkeley. Norristown is the only place it is referred to as a zeppelin, and Madison the only place one finds it as a garibaldi.
Newspapers.com
4 March 1987, The Journal-News (White Plains, NY), "The wedge by many other names" by Dan Carlinsky, pg. E2, cols. 2-3:
"Maybe they're called wedges because the meat is wedged in," said Dan Cocciardi, manager of Mister C's on Mamaroneck Avenue.
Frank Imondo, former owner of Varvaro's in White Plains, said the name may have originated with the name of the large bread roll that bakers have called a wedge.
"It's in the form of a wedge to hold the amount of meat, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers and everything else that goes into the sandwich," he said.
Newspapers.com
16 May 1994, The Standard-Star (New Rochelle, NY), "The 'burb FACTS" by Mitch Broder, pg. 5C, col. 3:
Wedge: Oblong sandwich sold at pizzerias and other restaurants. Called "wedge" beccause if you eat too many, that's what you become.