Sandwich Shop
Verdict: Cat’s Pajamas! 
Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-4pm (will open weekend starting this spring!)
Address: 531 West 6th Street, LA, CA 90014
Phone: (213) 627-1508
Price: $
Website: www.SandwichShopLA.com
When my husband and I moved in to our place downtown, we met several of our neighbors, one of whom is Jimmy Kwon. Soon after getting to know Jimmy, my husband learned that his company had been ordering lunch from Jimmy’s shop, then La Baguette, for months. And everyone loved the food!
After 9 months of delicious lunches, I have finally asked my friend to sit down with me and tell me his history and what makes Sandwich Shop so special.
It all began when Jimmy graduated from Berkeley with a degree in Political Science. He pounded the pavement and secured interviews with several law firms for paralegal positions. Realizing he didn’t want to be a paralegal, he decided to move back to LA to be near family and friends. Ah, youth.
Jimmy moved back and began working for his parents’ wholesale clothing company, Gemini, located in the downtown garment district. However, he didn’t find his passion in plus size women’s clothing. That search had not yet to come to its conclusion.
Jimmy’s brother, Yul Kwon, did love the family business and has used his international business and marketing degrees to publicize the brand. They’ve been written up in the LA Business Journal and were seen on American Idol, worn by Lakisha. (missphit.com).
But enough about Yul, we’re talking about Jimmy here!
So, Jimmy quit his job with Gemini and went to work for PriceWaterhouseCoopers as a tax consultant. Jimmy was a senior associate when he realized he still had not found his passion and went back to work for Gemini. He stayed for four years.
Eventually, Jimmy noticed he loved running his own business. He’s a very intelligent guy and enjoys the challenge of having his hands in lots of pots. Since he enjoyed cooking, he decided to go back to school and learn more about the restaurant industry.
While at the California School of Culinary Arts in the Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts Program, Mr. Kwon resolved to pursue his love of cooking and become a chef rather than a businessman.
An intelligent and hard working fellow, Jimmy worked as a bus boy at Oceanview Bar and Grill while in school. He later dropped his dishrag like a hot potato to work in the kitchen at Wolfgang Puck Catering for two and a half years. The biggest gain from the experience was the diversity. The group catered events ranging from high-end Beverly Hills parties to hot dogs and burgers at the Rose Bowl.
In school, the students were taught that two types of people become chefs: lunatics and drunks. In my opinion, Jimmy revealed which type he is when he took over a sandwich shop on the spur of the moment while helping his friend hunt for a shop.
Had he not seen La Baguette in its downtown location, he says he would have continued to work for Wolfgang Puck and learned for another three years. Well, thank goodness he’s nuts!
The Sandwich Shop opened in May of 2007 and is the go-to restaurant for fresh food and sauces made from scratch. They do not purchase precut vegetables and Jimmy runs the kitchen as he would a far more expensive establishment. “The only difference is that we just happen to sell sandwiches.”
Rock on, Jimmy.
BTW, if you need guidance, Jimmy won’t pick a favorite because, to him, it would be like picking a favorite child. However, I did get this out of him: most popular sandwich is the Turkey Avacado Chedder Melt ($7.50). The most popular salad is the Miso Lemon Chicken Salad for $7.50 (“I’m very proud of that one.”).
If you are curious, my favorite is the French Onion Sandwich, “slowly-caramelized onions and Gruyere cheese on pressed walnut raisin bread” for $6.50. Or try the 3-cheese (cheddar, blue cheese, and gruyere) sandwich!
I’m hungry.
Oh! And another thing …
Where is the best coffee in downtown Los Angeles? Coffee Bean? Starbucks? Tully’s? Pete’s? Nosir. I kid you not. The best coffee in downtown L.A. is at the Sandwich Shop. Jimmy orders Peerless coffee beans from Oakland, California, and brews them to perfection.
Ya gotta get over there and try this place. Yummmm.
Photos by Big Al, the gal
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1 response so far ↓
1 T1 // Feb 26, 2008 at 4:20 pm
I love the sandwich shop! So tasty.
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