About 40 years ago, I was traveling to Crossville, TN with a buddy. We were on the way to do some boar hunting. We stopped at a Kroger store and Jerry sent me in to get a couple sandwiches. He said he'd take whatever I was having.
The deli section of that Kroger was as lousy as I had ever seen one. The only stuff that looked good was Roast Beef, Pepperoni, and Cheddar. I had them put it on a Kaiser Rolls. Jerry said it was the best sandwich he'd ever had. He had some real estate that he was going to be renting to a Pizza joint. He said he was going to make them put this sandwich on the menu and name it after me. For a couple of years, we'd go over there regularly and by a sack of Hot Bill sandwiches named after me. The Pizza Joint added a toasted hoagie roll and frizzled the sliced roast beef. That was a decent addition.
Fast forward 20 years. I got the farm in 2001, and the kids were still fairly young. Starting that first summer, I would get the fixings for Bill Sandwiches and we'd eat them on the front porch-- even before we got the keys to the place. Bill Sandwiches have been a ritual at the farm ever since.
If you go to Jersey Mikes and order a Cancro Special, you'll find a similar sandwich.
