Ratha Chau and Ben Daitz met on the Clark University Campus in 1992. When the college buddies reconnected in New York City in 1998, they were surprised to find that they were both working in the restaurant industry. With Chau at Blue Water Grill and Daitz at Tabla, the two discussed their similar experiences with striving for success in the competitive New York restaurant industry.

While helping Chau during the opening of Kampuchea Restaurant in the Lower East Side, Daitz fell in love with the num pang sandwiches his friend had created based on his mother’s Cambodian-style cooking. During this time, they both realized that they were in the presence of New York’s next big sandwich craze. Now, more than ten years later, the pair have opened Num Pang Sandwich Shop in Union Square as a team.

Num Pang, the Cambodian term for “bread” or “sandwich,” is a gourmet sandwich that will be served on a freshly toasted semolina flour baguette with Num Pang’s signature chili mayo and house-made pickles on the side. At Num Pang, a rotating selection of six to eight sandwiches are freshly made-to-order daily for either take-out or self-seating above the kitchen on the second floor of the shop.

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photo courtesy of Tyson Reist