Staff photo.
Sam Graphos, the founder and owner of Sam’s Super Samwiches on 18th Street, died in early October.
For more than 50 years, Sam Graphos was one of the first faces many Homewood residents saw, cooking up breakfast sandwiches behind the grill at his restaurant, Sam’s Super Samwiches.
On Oct. 5, Graphos died at the age of 79, leaving behind a legacy of food and friends in the city of Homewood.
“The entire Homewood community is grieving this week,” said Meredith Drennan, director of the Homewood Chamber of Commerce, after Graphos’ passing. “A favorite among residents across the region, Sam’s Super Samwiches was a mainstay on 18th Street for over 50 years. That kind of commitment to our business community is astounding.”
Graphos started the restaurant with his brother, Pete, and it was originally called Sneaky Pete’s before they sold that franchise and Graphos started Sam’s, which serves fresh hot dogs, hamburgers and more, in addition to breakfast items. The restaurant serves hot dogs “regular” (sauce, sauerkraut, mustard and onions) or “special” (with spiced ground beef) and fresh-made hamburger patties, also topped with sauce.
Graphos and his “samwiches” were so well known that they were requested around the country. He told The Homewood Star in 2012 that he overnighted hot dogs to California and served them as part of a lifelong customer’s wedding buffet, where they were the first food to disappear.
Paul Cook worked with Graphos for about 14 years after growing up eating at the restaurant as a kid.
“He was a great boss,” said Cook, who serves as one of the main cooks at the restaurant. “He was really funny, a good person to be around.”
Photo by Neal Embry.
A tribute to former Sam’s Super Samwiches founder and owner Sam Graphos adorns his restaurant on 18th Street. Graphos died in early October.
The first time Cook ever had a beer with Graphos was in the kitchen of the restaurant. Graphos had just brought in crawfish, and he took time to cook up some crawfish and enjoy a beer with his friend and employee, Cook said. It was just one of the memories Cook said he made at the restaurant in the past 14 years.
“He’s dearly missed,” Cook said.
Graphos at one time told The Homewood Star he was the “unofficial mayor of 18th Street.”
“If anyone wants to know what’s going on, they ask me,” Graphos said.
Graphos lived in Homewood for more than 50 years, and his house is only two blocks from where his wife, Sue, grew up. For more than 20 years, the pair organized Walk MS fundraising teams after their daughter, Suzanne, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at age 20, and their son, Ted, received the same diagnosis in 2011.
A jar sits on the counter at the restaurant requesting donations to “help change somebody’s life.”
Graphos will be missed by the Homewood community, Homewood Mayor Patrick McClusky said.
“To say that Sam Graphos was a Homewood icon would be an understatement,” McClusky said. “We all have great memories from Sam’s Super Samwiches. His contributions to our community, and beyond, will be remembered forever. It’s a very sad day for Homewood, and the city passes along its condolences to his family, his friends, and everyone whose life he touched.”
While Graphos was loved for his friendly attitude and food, his son, Ted, said he put family first.
“He’d close the store to watch me pitch,” Ted Graphos said. “We knew he loved us and how proud he was of us by his actions.”
Ted’s children, Kate and Sam, have their pictures adorning the walls of the restaurant, and in 2012, Sam Graphos told The Homewood Star they thought he was “famous” because his picture was in the newspaper.
Ted Graphos said while he never ate breakfast with his dad because his dad left for work at 4:30 in the morning, he did eventually get to go to work with him when he was a bit older. What he saw sticks with him today.
“I saw how hard he worked,” Graphos said. “He loved what he did, and he loved making people happy.”
The store was as close to the setting of the show “Cheers” as there was, Ted Graphos said. His dad made sure to treat everyone equally, no matter if they were a celebrity or first-time customer, he said.
Graphos’ “samwiches” stayed in the minds of those who left the city, Drennen said.
“I know former residents that upon returning to Homewood, their first stop is to Sam’s Super Samwiches,” Drennen said. “His warm countenance will be so terribly missed, and all of Homewood is praying for and supportive of the Graphos family in this difficult time.”
His hard work continued, even when Graphos got sick, his son said. He was still working every day up until the day he went to the hospital.
Graphos also got one last round of golf in with his granddaughter. In July, Kate asked him to play, and though his health was declining, Graphos said he made it 18 holes with her, just like he and Ted once did every Saturday for 30 years.
He also spent time with his grandson, who was named after him, Ted Graphos said.
“Sam (the grandson) was in virtual school … dad would just stop by and say, ‘Hey, get in the car, let’s go,’” Ted said.
While it became known as a “mystery trip,” it was almost always to the restaurant depot to get supplies for the restaurant, Ted said.
The family will always remember the last few months with their father and grandfather, Ted said. From eating lunch at the restaurant to fishing at the lake or watching football games together at his house, Ted said he and his dad spent a lot of time together this year.
While the founder of Sam’s Super Samwiches is gone, Ted Graphos said the plan is to keep the restaurant running.
“That’s something he would want, something Homewood would want,” he said.
The plan is for Ted to handle the business side while Cook handles day-to-day management, and Ted said he is figuring out the best way to do that. The store was closed for electrical issues before Graphos’ passing.
“We hope to continue the legacy,” Cook said.
