The Best Sandwich in the Office? A Challenge That Brought the Entire Minimart Team Together

At the beginning of June, we had the pleasure of visiting the Minimart team at the company’s invitation as part of an internal team-building initiative that transformed the lunch break into an opportunity for connection, sharing, and friendly competition.

The challenge was simple: who could make the best sandwich?

Three participants accepted the challenge and presented their signature creations, while the entire office took part in the tasting and voting. Each contestant offered a personal interpretation of their favorite sandwich from quick and practical solutions for a busy workday to more ambitious homemade recipes.

A special guest at the event was Chef Svetoslavov from HRC Culinary Academy, whose role was to evaluate the entries, provide professional feedback and suggestions for improvement, and select his personal favorite.

The sandwich that made the strongest impression was the “Zoraliyska Focaccia” – a homemade focaccia baked the evening before and topped with tomato and samardala (Bulgarian wild mountain leek seasoning), olive tapenade, sweet red pepper, mortadella, mozzarella, and, as the participant himself shared, “a lot of love.” It won both the jury’s vote and the hearts of colleagues.

Among the other entries was “In a Minute”, a sandwich inspired by a favorite family breakfast, combining wheat toast, cream cheese, scamorza cheese, baby ham, and processed cheese.

Providing serious competition was “Between Two Slices” from Zaikos Kitchen- a striking multi-layered creation featuring crispy toasted bread, melted cheese, Gouda, and Emmental arranged across three appetizing tiers. At its core was a rich combination of three carefully selected and balanced meats, while pickles added freshness and a subtle tangy accent.

To encourage culinary enthusiasm, the winner received a special prize from HRC Academy – a €90 voucher to participate in one of our upcoming short training courses.

Events like this are much more than a competition. They create opportunities for communication, idea sharing, personal storytelling, and strengthening relationships among colleagues. For us, it was also a wonderful way to showcase what we do at HRC Academy and how culinary experiences can serve as a powerful tool for team building.

At HRC Academy, we believe that food is a natural catalyst for bringing people together. That is why, in addition to professional training programs, we develop a variety of corporate culinary formats that help companies create engaging, positive, and collaborative work environments.

We would like to thank Minimart for the invitation and all participants for their enthusiasm and energy.

If your organization is also looking for a different way to engage your team through a culinary challenge, tasting event, workshop, or another unique activity, HRC Academy can help turn your idea into a memorable experience.

Whether you are planning a short lunch-break activity, a company celebration, a client engagement event, or a larger team-building initiative, our goal is to design experiences that bring people together in a meaningful and enjoyable way. Our corporate formats go far beyond traditional team-building activities. Every format can be tailored to your team’s size, interests, objectives, and available time.By combining culinary expertise with interactive learning and entertainment, we help organizations foster stronger team relationships and create moments that employees genuinely enjoy and remember long after the event has ended