Inventor of Wichita’s Famous No. 8 sandwich is retiring but leaving business in good hands
.JPG "Nancy Parish, right, is pictured in 2001 as her restaurant in Maize was closing. She’s the inventor of The Artichoke’s famous sandwich menu.")
She’s the inventor of one of Wichita’s most loved sandwiches — The Famous No. 8, featuring turkey, bacon, Swiss, cream cheese and Italian dressing on an onion hoagie.
But now, almost three years after closing her restaurant, Nancy’s Amazing Sandwiches at 5125 N. Maize Road, Nancy Parish said she’s ready to retire for real.
Since the restaurant closed, Parish — a former co-owner of The Artichoke Sandwichbar and the inventor of its famous sandwiches (which she also served when she spun off on her own in 2005) — has continued to work.
Not only has she kept her catering business going, but for the past 10 years, she’s been serving her sandwiches to crowds at the Cotillion Ballroom any time the venue has a concert or big event. She also has provided catering for the bands on the bill.
But because of health issues, Parish said, she decided she has to stop. She’s turned her catering business over to The Keg Sports Bar and Grill, the popular business at 130 E. Chicago Ave. in Colwich.
And her last time serving sandwiches at The Cotillion will be Aug. 24, when the Reno County Boxing Academy puts on a Fight Night.
But Cotillion crowds won’t be left hungry.
Starting on Sept. 1, a new food vendor will be in place at The Cotillion, and the transition should be pretty seamless. The Artichoke will take over at The Cotillion and will serve the same kind of sandwiches Parish did.
“It came up, and it just seemed like natural progression,” said Uche Onwugbufor, the co-owner of The Artichoke, which has restaurants at 811 N. Broadway and at a new location at 2959 N. Rock Road. The Artichoke will sell five or six of its best sandwiches at the venue, he said.
“The Cotillion has been around forever, and we’re thrilled to be out there,” he said. “It’s almost like a match made in Wichita between two icons of Wichita.”
As for her former building on Maize Road, Parish said she’s sold it. It very briefly housed Eric King’s Mo’s A-Maize-N BBQ & Grill but that restaurant closed after about a month.
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