New Sandwich Pop-up Promises Some Decadent Fair Food-Like Concoctions

Throughout the pandemic, sandwiches have remained a solid choice for those looking for takeout appeal. Now, two chefs from celebrated Ravenna restaurant Salare are leaning into lunch with a pop-up that highlights a handful of decadent concoctions. Sandwich Sandwich will make its debut March 15 at Laotian restaurant Taurus Ox on Capitol Hill, and preorders are currently live.

Initially conceived as a potential food truck, Kayla von Michalofski and Spencer Kuhlman started their project from family meals the pair made for staff at Salare in the summer of 2020. The restaurant had recently shifted to exploring cuisines from different countries each month for various takeout dinners, and the pair documented their sandwich experiments on Instagram before deciding to take them public.

Guy Fieri fans may be drawn to the pop-up’s bacon-wrapped jalapeno popper grilled cheese, which creator von Michalofski calls “fair food on steroids.” There’s also a banh mi twist that features nem chua (Vietnamese fermented pork). And rounding out the short menu are potatoes tossed with dehydrated kimchi and Green Goblin sauce, and Stroopwafel filled with hot honey caramel, a nod to von Michalofski’s Dutch family roots.

Von Michalofski and Kuhlman hope to keep slinging their sandwiches elsewhere in pop-up form and build a following before making the leap to a mobile operation on wheels (they’ve already received some offers from other chef friends to host). Mainly, though, the project has been an opportunity to explore more playful dishes during a challenging time.

Says von Michalofski, “This started as something fun to keep our minds off of all the bad happening — it just blossomed into something more.”

• Sandwich Sandwich [Official]
• Sandwich Sandwich [Instagram]
• Seattle’s Most Exciting Pop-ups, Tracked [ESEA]