Peanut Butter and Jelly, a great sandwich, but potentially not the most exciting topic… unless you add in a music legend, two police officers, a private jet and one creative restaurant.

I give you, the Story of the Fool’s Gold Loaf!

Legend has it that, in 1976, Elvis Presley was entertaining Colorado lawmen Captain Jerry Kennedy and Ron Pietrafeso at his mansion Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee. As the night went on, the topic of sandwiches came up (as it does when men gather) and the officers told Elvis about a unique sandwich created back in their hometown of Denver, known as the Fool’s Gold Loaf. Being inquisitive, and the sandwich-connoisseur that he was, Elvis asked what made this mile-high city item so special.

The answer was: the ingredients.

One Full-Sized French Loaf

One Full Jar of Peanut Butter

One Full Jar of Grape Jelly

And, wait for it…

One Pound of BACON!

Apparently, Elvis was not shy about getting his feed on, so he and the two officers drove to the Memphis Airport, boarded his Convair 880 Jet, the Lisa Marie, and flew two hours to Denver. When they arrived at 01:40, they were met by Buck and Cindy Scott, the owners of the Colorado Mine Company Restaurant, with 30 Fool’s Gold Loaf sandwiches waiting for them. Elvis, the officers and both his pilots pulled out a table and proceeded to eat the sandwiches along with copious amounts of champagne, for hours. After the feast (they never left the hangar), the pilots fired up the Lisa Marie and returned the entire party back to Memphis.

Regardless if the legend is true or not, it makes a great story and, apparently, a great sandwich!

Questions?

If you have any questions about this article or flight crew culinary training, contact me at rpeterson@airculinaire.com. For questions about in-flight catering, contact weborders@airculinaire.com.