Pandolfi's Deli closing today

It is a sad day for the soccer community and for lovers of a good sandwich, after being open for four years, Pandolfi's Deli will close their doors today. I hated writing that line about the Columbus Park area fixture.  I suppose I share some of the blame. I live pretty far away and I did not get down there very often, not nearly as much as I wanted to visit. Every time I did stop in they served good food, they were friendly and I would have never known them if that was all there was to it.

I did not know Jake Hendershot when he first opened. The first time I heard of Pandolfi's was on a road trip to Chicago. They provided the sandwiches that we all ate on the bus ride. That was the first I heard of Jake and Pandolfi's but far from the last, they quickly became interwoven in the Kansas City soccer community.

Jake was connected with the history of the area and the building and it just seemed right for him to be there. He could tell you about his family connection and that location but it was the new connections he made that drew me and others in.

Every time I turned around, Pandolfi's was providing food for a road trip or hosting an event for the Cauldron or a raffle of Sporting KC gear to help schools in Thailand or delivering food to a Missouri Comets practice or the press box.

Some of the jerseys that were raffled off...

Pandolfi's even had a sandwich named after a Sporting Kansas City player, # 32 The Sassano. Luke loved the turkey, prosciutto, pepper jack cheese and balsamic vinaigrette combination so much he earned his own sandwich with his number on the menu. Luke moved on and now so does Pandolfi's.

You can read what the Pitch wrote or even better, read what Zachary Cobb, a mutual friend wrote about the closing. All I know is that today is the last day for Jake and Pandolfi's and I will be there. If you can, stop by for lunch or after work today.

Thanks Jake. Good luck in whatever you do next...

Jimmy Nielsen signed the Cauldron gloves at Pandolfi's...