NY sandwich kings: Secret to our success
Ratha Chaupoly and Ben Daitz met at Clark University in 1992. After graduation, Daitz worked in some of the finest kitchens in the country, including Bouley, Daniel, Le Cirque and Tabla. A hiatus from the kitchen landed Daitz at a private equity firm, where he delved in to the real estate side of the restaurant industry. After graduation, Chaupoly spent time in Maine exporting sea urchin to Japan, before landing positions at restaurants such as The Elephant Walk, Blue Water Grill and Fleur de Sel. He then opened his own restaurant, Kampuchea, in New York City's Lower East Side, where his Cambodian sandwiches were a hit. With their eye on the customer craze for the sandwiches, the pair decided to open the Num Pang sandwich shop in March 2009. Six years, eight shops and several partnerships later (they've collaborated on sandwiches with Ad-Rock, Mario Batali, Jean-Georges and more), Zagat ranked Num Pa...