In 1981 Lex and Anne Alexander started Wellspring Grocery in Durham. The market emphasized organic and locally-grown produce, as well as an excellent selection of prepared foods. Ten years later her sold his small chain of stores to Whole Foods and while they’ve done a good job, their concept and mission is a bit different than Wellspring’s was. However what is really different is the group of recipes being used for the prepared foods. Whole Foods has good options, but I do miss Alexander’s food.

A few years ago Alexander opened a small sandwich shop in Chapel Hill called “ Sandwhich ”. The restaurant was tucked way behind what used to be Pyewacket in a space that ultimately didn’t make economic sense. Recently, however, they moved to the restaurant space to the left of McDonalds on Franklin Street, and the rest is history.

Sandwhich is so popular now, it is having a difficult time meeting lunchtime demand. The secret is apparently out about this wonderful food. My favorite item is the turkey sandwich. It contains turkey, excellent tomatoes, lettuce, avocado, and harissa (spicy chili) mayonnaise on sourdough bread. The makes a great sandwich, however Sandwhich adds a twist to make this a Home Run. Before assembly each slice of homemade bread is lightly buttered and grilled on one face. That face becomes the inner face of the sandwich and big surprise to the diner.

The Rotisserie Chicken Salad sandwich is also excellent. IT sits on whole wheat bread. Also worth trying is the Outrageous BLT. Sandwhich’s potato chips are also not to be missed.

Sandwhich has a wide assortment of drinks, however their soft drinks are canned and are presented in an only moderately chilled refrigerator. Another disappointment with Sandwhich is the price. While they are putting much more efffort into their sandwiches than, say, Subway, it still is cost prohibitive for many to seek a $14 lunch very often. Apparently this isn’t a problem for many people, though, as the line runs out the door for lunch on weekdays.

Alexander could easily expand this concept into Raleigh. Places like the old Johnson’s Pharmacy, The open restaurant space in Oberlin Court, or a storefront along Hillsborough Street near Second Empire would all do well. Until then we’ll just have to keep this as a Road Trip Recommendation from gogoraleigh.