WINTER GARDEN, Fla. — Is a hot dog a sandwich? It’s a question pondered by many for years. Central Florida icon and sportscaster Pat Clarke would categorize his famed Goop Dogs as a sandwich with more than just flavor.

“We’re changing lives out here,” Clarke says with a smile while running his Goop Dog stand at the Plant Street Market in Winter Garden.

“You can eat goop on a roll,” Clarke says. “You can eat goop on a hubcap. It’ll still taste great. Some people have tried to eat it while they’re sleeping. It doesn’t go over well, but boy, I’d love to see them try.”

Reading this far along, the obvious question has come to the surface. What is a Goop Dog?

“Hopefully people are just curious enough to try something called goop,” Clarke says. “When they do, they’re hooked.”

Hooked on a Martin’s potato roll stuffed with the goop. It’s Pat’s secret blend of meat, spices and seasoning. Upgrade to the Super Goop Dog that includes a hot dog. No, this is not a chili dog. It’s Goop, and it’s the truth.

“The goop stands alone. It really does,” he said.

Super Goop Dog. (Spectrum News)

Every weekend you can find Pat adding more troops to his goop. On Saturdays he has his stand at the Plant Street Market. Sundays are at Lake Eola in downtown Orlando. It’s his commitment to one of his lifelong passions.

Pat is often recognized for his firsts.

“I wasn’t a legendary sportscaster,” he says. “I was a sportscaster, and it was a great career.”

For 34 years, Clarke was a staple on area TV screens. He first made his way to Orlando in 1986 as a sports anchor at WFTV. His stops also include the Sunshine Network, which is now Bally Sports Sun and WESH2.

“In one word, satisfying. Extremely satisfying,” Clarke says of his career.

With that has blossomed a tremendous amount of bonds, friendships and perspective. He can tell stories for days about local sports icons like Arnold Palmer and Shaquille O’Neal.

His favorite story to tell is the one of his hero: Betty Clarke.

“Well, mom she was something. She invented goop when my sisters and I were young. We had no money. We lived on a farm, and this was her answer to a chili dog. She called it goop,” he said.

Growing up in Iowa as the lone boy among five sisters, Pat learned the ways of goop from Betty. She would take various seasonings from around the kitchen to make her famed sandwich. Tinkering with her recipe over the years, Pat found the secret formula to perfection. Betty was much more than a gourmet chef.

“She was very invested in my life and my career. To be able to do this, have a company, put her name on it, sell the sandwich and caramel corn she created, is my small way of showing her how much I love her and care for her,” he said.

Betty passed away in 2007. Pat’s latest passion is making sure her legacy lives on.

“She would be freaking out if she saw how much people were enjoying this sandwich.”

So a Goop Dog is more than a sandwich. It’s Pat’s answer to life; do what you love for who you love.

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