Our SoFresh News

Underline

That’s A Wrap! A Look At A Fan FavoriteMarch 21, 2022

Underline

For many people trying to cut back on carbs, a wrap is a sandwich that helps them reach their goals. Wraps are made of filling soft wheat or flour tortillas with various fillings and rolling them up to make a hand-held delight. Wraps are the West’s version of traditional flatbread, or pita, sandwiches of the Northern parts of the Middle East and the Southern parts of the Caucasus. Today, however, wraps take center stage on the restaurants’ menus that appeal to the health-conscious customer

While wraps are seen in Mexican cuisine in burritos and tacos, their popularity has in fascinating history here in the USA. Let’s take a look at where our fascination with hand-held goodness began. 

Steeped In Sports

The modern-day wrap sandwich was popularized in 1982 thanks to America’s favorite pastime, baseball. More recently known for the management of the Boston Red Sox, Bobby Valentine had a significant influence on bringing the wrap sandwich to mainstream America. Not only was Bobby famous for returning to the New York Mets dugout in a mustache disguise after he was ejected from the game, but he’s also infamous for his unique skills in the kitchen. 

Kitchen Skills

Also, a restaurateur, Bobby Valentine, served the first wrap sandwich at his restaurant in Stamford, Connecticut. On this particular day, one of Bobby’s regulars in the restaurant also happened to be the banker who loaned him the funds to open the establishment. This gentleman usually ordered a turkey club-like clockwork, but this day, the restaurant’s toaster was broken, and everything in the world of sandwiches changed. 

To not disappoint his valued customer, Bobby grabbed a tortilla and proceeded to fill it with the traditional turkey club ingredients. He then rolled up the stuffed tortilla and melted a bit of cheese on top to keep it from unrolling. Once the wrap was complete, Bobby instructed his staff to tell his customer that in place of the club sandwich, he was receiving a “Club Mex.” 

A Catchy Idea That Caught On

Fortunately for Bobby, his banker customer, and others liked the wrap concept, and it soon became a permanent fixture on the menu. The “club sandwich wrap” was filled with turkey, bacon, tomato, lettuce, and cheese and was viewed as a rival to the traditional stacked club sandwich. While Bobby Valentine admits that he didn’t invent the first hand-held wrap sandwich, he does take credit for putting American ingredients inside a tortilla wrap and serving it his restaurant as a novelty. 

More great articles

Boost Your Energy Levels With These Healthy Foods

Boost Your Energy Levels With These Healthy Foods

Most people fail to realize there is a strong correlation between a bad diet and low energy levels. If you…

Read Story
Does Eating Right Increase Mental Health

Does Eating Right Increase Mental Health?

Ordering fresh meals online could be the most convenient option for you to have a wonderful dining experience. Due to…

Read Story

Teaching Kids To Value Eating Nutritious Foods

As parents, we are charged with making essential decisions that directly impact their health and happiness daily. One of the…

Read Story
Arrow-up