Matt Wilkinson, co-owner of Pope Joan in Melbourne, is the undisputed winner of the title of world’s best sandwich maker at the World Sandwichship, which was held at the Sydney Opera House as part of the Crave Sydney International Food Festival 2011.

The World Sandwichship Competition consisted of a one hour round, where the participants were asked to create three different categories of sandwich – which were then judged based on their presentation, taste innovation, explanation, and ‘wow’ factor.

Wilkinson was up against some tough competition from the US, the UK and South Africa, but displayed his superior talent on the day and managed to take out the title of overall World Sandwichship winner. The Aussie competitor won the judges over with his creative take on the ham and three-tomato pickle toasted sandwich, made with Welsh rarebit fondue, and his Cuban-style quesadilla wrap.

“There was some challenging competition today and it feels great to be the winner, but at the end of the day it was just heaps of fun to share the experience of competing with other like-minded food lovers,” said Wilkinson. “I wanted to do the humble sandwich and Australia proud, and I think I’ve achieved that.”

“The World Sandwichship shows that the café and food industry is a thriving and exciting sector to be a part of, here in Australia and around the world,” said Graeme McCormack, Executive Director of the Australasian Sandwich Association.

The World Sandwichship seeks to highlight the work of lunch-time heroes from around the world and see who can create the best sandwich. Major sponsors included GWF Foodservice and Fonterra Foodservice.