Ben Daitz and Ratha Chaupoly

Num Pang Sandwich Shop

After becoming friends in college, Ben Daitz and Ratha Chaupoly went their separate ways while unknowingly both pursuing culinary careers. After attending The Culinary Institute of America, Daitz worked for years in back of the house, working under chef masterminds such as David Bouley at Danube and Floyd Cardoz at Tabla. While self-taught in the kitchen, Ratha took a slightly different route and spent most of his career in the front of the house, most notably as beverage director and manager of Fleur de Sel. He then went on to open Kampuchea, a Cambodian restaurant where Num Pang sandwiches were an integral part of the menu. The two friends reconnected in NYC in the late 90’s and after learning about their shared love for the culinary world, decided to open up the Num Pang Sandwich shop near Union Square in March of 2009. They soon after opened their second location in the heart of midtown east in June of 2011. Since then, they have been recognized by top tier media such as Bon Appetit who named their sandwiches “one of the top 25 things to eat in 2012” and have been the highest rated sandwich shop in Zagat two years running.