GREENFIELD – Legend has it that the Wet Tenderloin was invented right here in Greenfield, and Charlie Vetters is on a mission to explore the tastiest gravy-smothered sandwiches in the city.
The downtown businessman admits that the tenderloin may not be his favorite sandwich, but his love for all things Greenfield has him highlighting the quirky flavors of the city, from restaurants to musicians to pop culture—all through social media.
He’ll start Monday with a Facebook Live interview with historian Brigette Cook Jones, who has explored the history of the sandwich.
“Then I’m going to local places in town and doing a Facebook Live,” he said. “Show their place and the Wet Tenderloin, and get their story on the Wet Tenderloin… I’ll have a Wet Tenderloin, eat it, get it all over my beard, and also give them a chance to give a little information on their business.”
Vetters owns Organic Robot Designs at 113 W. Main St. He has a T-shirt already designed celebrating the sandwich, and he plans to sell them at local restaurants. So far, he plans on hitting up The Depot and Dave’s Express Grill.
The original Indiana breaded tenderloin sandwich originated from German immigrants in the early 1900s. The hand-breaded, deep-fried pork sandwich is sometimes thick and juice, sometimes thin and crispy and served on a bun.
The Wet Tenderloin — a trademark name — was invented at Fair’s Lunch in Greenfield, which is currently the location of Ella June’s in the downtown district.
Link Fair was the owner of Fair’s lunch, and while Jones can’t say exactly when it was invented, it was sometime between 1925 and 1955.
Back then, Fair’s Lunch was for men only because of a pool hall in the back so it was not a suitable place for ladies, Jones researched. But women worked in the basement kitchen and sent the food up via a dumbwaiter.
The story goes that one day Link’s wife, Jessie Fair, accidentally sent up gravy for Link’s breakfast one day but forgot the meat. Link took a breaded tenderloin and dipped it in gravy. He liked it so much that he and his restaurant manager, Gerald “Whitey” Ware, perfected the recipe and it was an instant hit.
Link Fair passed away in 1948 and Whitey Ware went on to to manage the Riley Park Drive-In, which later became Greenfield’s Jim Dandy. The Wet Tenderloin really took off there, and the name was trademarked by 1970.
Greenfield’s Jim Dandy did not survive the Covid pandemic and closed in 2020, but the Wet Tenderloin is still served at several local restaurants today.
Vetters said perhaps the most direct descendent to the original Wet Tenderloin recipe can be found at the grill inside Dave’s Carwash on the city’s west side. The recipe – which has also been featured at the local bowling alley – originated from Jim Dandy, he said.
Jones said Greenfield’s Wet Tenderloin history is a unique feature for the city, and one that should be celebrated. Jones is also the director of the Hancock County Tourism and Visitor Center, so she knows a thing or two about featuring unique traits of local communities.
“I personally would like to see some sort of interactive marker outside of Ella June’s (the location of Fair’s Lunch) that could commemorate the birthplace of the Wet Tenderloin,” she said. “This would get a lot of traffic on social media … If the state of Indiana adopts the breaded tenderloin as the state’s official sandwich, that would be a huge boost to get this done. It would tie into the official state symbols. We do already have an official state pie … so why not an official sandwich? People love their food, and love their breaded tenderloins.”
Vetters is excited to feature the sandwich this week online. He’s created several Facebook Live videos promoting the community, most recently about the Greenfield Rock Academy, upcoming concerts in the downtown district, and local artists.
“I live here, I’m excited about where I live,” he said. “Honestly, anybody can print T-shirts but it’s stuff like this that connects with the community. It’s what makes this fun; I’m not just a factory printing T-shirts, but I’m involved in the community and I’m proud of the community.”
Vetters has unofficially dubbed March 25-29 “Wet Tenderloin Week” for his promotional videos. To learn more or to watch, visit facebook.com/organicrobotdesigns.
