In May 2019, a New York Times crossword puzzle published this clue: “A city famous for its Cuban sandwiches.” The answer was Tampa, but many people felt it should have been Miami. And so, an age-old beef (ha!) was reignited: which city has the best Cuban sammies?

I kicked this story off by finding two Cuban sandwich experts: Ricardo Morales of Old’s Havana Cuban Bar and Cocina in Miami, and Andrea Gonzmart, owner of the Columbia Restaurant in Tampa. I asked both of them about why their city’s version of the sammie is superior, cut the tape, wrote the script and off it went to air.

I also interviewed New York Times Puzzlemaster Will Shortz for accountability purposes, but he insisted on staying neutral.

This was an incredibly fun piece to produce and don’t let the run time fool you—sometimes short pieces are the hardest to do well.