presents: the Story Behind the Sandwich
The Burger That Started It All
Duane Purvis All-American popular despite odd combination
BY ALAN KARPICK
AKarpick@GoldandBlack.com
This is the first of six feature stories that tells the story behind Triple XXX and its tradition of naming menu
items in honor of former Boilermaker legends.
P
eanut butter and pickle? On a cheeseburger no
less?
One person's delicacy is another's person's gastric
nightmare.
But if you have ever been to West Lafayette's famous
Triple XXX or its sister restaurant, Route 66, you have
heard of the Duane Purvis All-American. And you have
heard about its key ingredient: Peanut butter.
"Its popularity has skyrocketed, especially in the
past few years," said Greg Ehresman, who co-owns the
restaurants along with wife Carrie.
The Duane Purvis All-American sandwich got a jolt
in popularity when Guy Fieri of the Food Network visited Triple XXX in 2007 for a segment on his show, "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives."
"Guy didn't like it when he tasted it," Ehresman
said. "The peanut butter takes a little getting used to
and, apparently, it didn't work for him. And I put a halfcup of it on the sandwich, instead of the usual tablespoon just to mess with him."
But in the world of publicity, just mentioning the
sandwich piqued the interest of many. Then, a couple
years later, during the Super Bowl XXXVI, a state-wide
Duane Purvis was such a heralded athlete that legendary
cartoonist and sports commentator Thornton Fisher chose
him for one of his drawings. Fisher reserved this honor for
the greats of the time, including Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.
completion for the best sandwich in Indiana ramped
things up a lot.
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