One night in February 1976, Elvis Presley was relaxing at Graceland when someone mentioned an unforgettable sandwich he had once eaten in Colorado. Most people would have ignored the craving or tried to recreate it at home. Elvis made a very different decision. He ordered his private jet prepared and invited several friends to fly more than 1,000 miles with him.
The sandwich was called the Fool’s Gold Loaf. It was made by hollowing out an entire loaf of bread and filling it with peanut butter, blueberry preserves and approximately one pound of fried bacon. Elvis had previously tasted the unusual creation at the Colorado Mine Company near Denver and apparently never forgot it.
Fool’s Gold Loaf sandwich to celebrate Elvis Presley’s 80th birthday at Nick’s Cafe
The restaurant received advance notice that Elvis was returning, but he had no plans to enter the city. Fresh sandwiches were prepared and transported directly to Stapleton International Airport, where the Lisa Marie arrived during the early morning hours. Elvis remained near his plane with his friends, pilots and the people who had delivered the food.
Accounts disagree about how many sandwiches were waiting. Restaurant worker Nick Andurlakis remembered bringing ten, while later versions of the story commonly claim there were around 22. Either way, the group reportedly spent several hours eating, talking and drinking champagne and Perrier before boarding the jet and returning to Memphis.
The strangest part of the journey was that Elvis never left the airport. He had flown across the country simply because a sandwich had returned to his mind during a conversation at Graceland. What began as a casual craving became another glimpse into the extraordinary private world surrounding the most famous singer in America.
Elvis Presley changed popular music through historic recordings, unforgettable performances and a stage presence that influenced generations. Yet stories like this reveal the spontaneous personality behind the legend.