Admittedly, I'm not a big TikTok guy. I know, I know, I'm missing out. The platform has just never captured me, to be honest since I'm a Twitter (oh, sorry, X) guy through and through. However, the remarkably popular Owen Han —who has become known as the platform's "King of Sandwiches" — is someone whose dishes might convince me to spend more time on the platform.
Angling all of his videos through a sandwich-heavy lens, Han's staccato, ASMR-influenced TikToks have racked up millions and millions of views. Now, he's releasing a cookbook, fittingly titled "Stacked: The Art of the Perfect Sandwich."
Inspired by his Italian and Chinese heritage as well as cult-classic favorite sandwiches worldwide — and all across the interwebs — Han's channel capitalized on food that is immediately appealing to the TikTok audience in easily digestible (pun intended) videos that, clearly, made a real mark on followers.
Han, who bills himself a "culinary content producer, social media celebrity and self-proclaimed professional eater," is not professionally trained, but his recipes are simple-to-follow while also incorporating unique aspects to help them pop. One great example is his Turkey Crunch Sandwich with Frico Crisps. Now, I might be a bit biased because frico — lacy, gossamer, uber-crispy cooked flats of parmesan cheese — is one of my favorite things on earth, but Han's inclusion is both simple and ingenious: The frico adds additional cheese flavor while also providing incredible texture.
"Ultimately, Stacked is an ode to my love for sandwiches and a collection of my favorites which differ from others," Han said.
Han spoke with Salon recently, touching on everything from food's importance in his upbringing to honoring his father, plus his goals for the future, his favorite sandwiches and much more.
There's been such an influx of sandwich cookbooks on the market this year. How would you say that "Stacked" differentiates from the others?
The author is more handsome? Kidding, kidding.
I have a lot of respect for any cookbook author and especially my fellow sandwich lovers. In terms of what makes Stacked special: the devil is in the detail. I’m drawing inspiration from my own heritage, upbringing and experiences in the kitchen to put some fun (and delicious) spins on the classics.
The recipes in "Stacked" may seem familiar at first glance, but when you dive in, you’ll notice there are endless fun tweaks to upgrade the classics making them truly unique. Ultimately, "Stacked" is an ode to my love for sandwiches and a collection of my favorites which differ from others.
How would you say your Chinese and Italian heritage imbues your cooking and recipes?
My Chinese and Italian heritage are the foundation and inspiration for my cooking, use of ingredients and technique. Anyone who grows up with immigrant parents or grandparents are introduced to unique ingredients and cooking techniques that likely differ from that of their next-door neighbors in the US.
Some examples from my life include my Chinese grandmother's shrimp toast recipe — a unique packed lunch for a 3rd grader living in Florida — or my Italian grandmother's technique for doing meatballs (she will roll them and add them directly to sauce to cook for supreme tenderness).
This might be a tricky one, but would you say you have a singular, absolute favorite sandwich in general? Or specifically from the book?
Tricky indeed, but I came prepared!
For my favorite, I have to go with the Not So Classic Cheese Steak. In short, it’s my heritage in a recipe. When I was initially recipe testing to create a cheesesteak, I looked in my pantry and pulled out my staples: soy sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire, ginger, garlic, mozzarella, unsmoked provolone, Italian cherry peppers, etc. When they come together, you’ve got a sweet, spicy, fatty and acidic recipe that hits all the notes.
For years, it’s been the sandwich I most frequently crave. A recipe that has a little bit of Italian, Chinese and American (aka Owen) wrapped into one.
Are there any unsung heroes in the sandwich world for which you have a special affinity? That could be a lesser-used bread, an under-appreciated condiment, a particular protein or cheese.
There are two meats I have to shoutout and give some praise to here. First, is mortadella: I absolutely love it. I call it fancy baloney. Visually, I think it scares some people, but it has such a rich flavor, balanced fattiness, versatility and heritage and tradition to its use.
The second is bresaola. For some reason, you can’t find it in most American delis, but I think it’s a better tasting version of prosciutto we should all be in love with.
Before you appeared on TikTok, were you cooking a lot? Were you working in food? Or was starting a food-based TikTok account sort of just happenstance?
Does delivering meals to hospital patients count as working in food? That was my first job out of college prior to entering into the foodie influencer space, though I’d be lying if I didn’t concede cooking and recipe development has been a lifelong passion for me that started when I was very young — growing up watching my grandma (or as I call her, Nonna) cook in her kitchen in a small village in Tuscany where I was born.
I would go on to grow up in the States where I honed in on my love of cooking through summer courses at The Institute of Culinary Education. I even hosted a pop-up restaurant out of what was basically a fraternity house at University of Southern California with my good friend (and fellow culinary content creator), H Woo Lee. H Woo is actually who introduced me to TikTok and urged me to start posting my recipes . . . it just so happened the first one I posted to really take off and go viral was a sandwich I made for lunch.
In short, my coming to TikTok was happenstance, but my love of food has been lifelong.
Obviously, your ASMR, quick-hit style is your trademark and something that tends to do so well on TikTok, but I was wondering if you had any ideas for diversifying the video style in the future? I get "why fix it if it isn't broken" and clearly that rapid, staccato, uber-fast speed has done wonders for your traction and your followers. But selfishly, I’d love to see something — slower?
I’m definitely operating under the “why fix it if it isn’t broken” mentality as it relates to short-form video — Instagram reels, TikToks and YouTube shorts. There’s just something really satisfying and viral-friendly for social media users to hear the sounds of a kitchen (the sizzling, frying, chopping, whisking, blending, etc.) while watching a recipe come together in a quick-cut format to create something delicious.
That being said, I am really excited to share I’ve begun posting longer format — or in your words, "slower!" — videos on my YouTube channel. Currently, I’m releasing a series, entitled “Nonna Knows,” where I cook a recipe from my Nonna’s arsenal and then have her join at the end of the video to critique and rate it. She doesn’t hold back and isn’t afraid to critique, so it’s a fun watch and truly a dream come true to have her involved in my content.
The subhead of the book is "the art of the perfect sandwich." If you were to sum that up in a few sentences, what would it be?
Admittedly, it’s hard to sum that up because it’s not one specific notion. The art of the perfect sandwich is something that will ultimately be unique to each reader based on personal preference but the book acts as a roadmap for finding it. Whether that be a breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert sandwich, simple vs elevated, big vs small — there’s a perfect sandwich in "Stacked" for everyone.
The book is pretty evenly divided, encompassing breakfast, dessert, vegetarian and then all forms of protein-based sandwiches. Did you have a favorite section to work on?
Definitely the desserts! Admittedly, I have never been much of a dessert person and would only occasionally post sweets recipes on social media. However, when I really dug in and started developing the dessert sandwich recipes for the book, I found myself walking away with a newly-grown sweet tooth and often crave them now. The desserts chapter truly transformed my palate, even if it means I work a little harder in the gym to sweat off the newfound calories!
The book is dedicated to your dad. Can you speak a bit about his influence on you, both in regards to your palate and cooking, but also at large?
My father’s love of cooking and sharing food — with not just me, but also my brothers, extended family and any friends that happened to come by our house for a meal growing up — will forever be the basis of my passion for sharing my creations in the kitchen with the world. In terms of palate, I get my Chinese flair and frame of reference for ingredients in the kitchen from my father and his side of the family.
As you’ll read in the book, my father’s passing during a transitional period in my life — shortly after my graduation from USC — was also a large part of my wanting to find larger meaning in my day-to-day workings. There are a lot of family and friends I owe my career in food media to, but I wouldn’t have had the guts to even try making this happen if it weren’t for my father. Love you always, Pops.
Is there a recipe in the book that you’d recommend as a good starter for someone who’s a bit of a novice in the kitchen? Alternatively, is there a good project recipe for a more advanced cook who might want to set some time aside on a weekend to really try to perfect it?
Absolutely, there are recipes for cooks of all skill levels in the book.
For the novice or beginner, I recommend taking a look at the cold cuts. Perhaps start with the Mortadella with Pistachio Pesto. The most challenging component of that is the pesto sauce but otherwise, it’s just assembling the sandwich. The overall combination of flavors is out of this world.. it’ll make you feel like a pro and hopefully motivate you to work your way up to the more involved recipes.
If you have the entire weekend to really try and perfect a sandwich, I recommend taking a stab at the sandwich on the cover — the OG Steak Sandwich I spoke about earlier. If you can nail the cook on the skirt steak, caramelize the onions to perfection and do a flawless garlic aioli, you have a sandwich that you’ll crave for the rest of your life.
What are your three favorite ingredients to work with?
In no particular order — Calabrian chilies, pickled onions and the freshest bread your local bakery can provide you with. Be sure to get there at opening!
What are your tips on mitigating food waste?
Like many of my culinary content creator colleagues, I cook a lot of food on a weekly basis — like a small restaurant’s worth. Thankfully, I’m a hungry man and don’t mind leftovers, so I always make sure my recipes find their way to a stomach, whether it be mine or a friend’s. Nothing gets thrown away.
Why do you cook?
That’s actually a tricky question. To be honest, the exact rationale for taking out my chef’s knife can change on a day-to-day basis and sometimes, multiple times throughout a single day. But whether I’m cooking for myself, sharing recipes far and wide on social media, developing a sandwich recipe for a brand sponsor, or testing my skills against others in a cooking competition: I can’t deny, at the end of the day, I’m just thankful I get to make a living doing something I’m truly passionate about.
Some people get excited about cars, travel, money. Cooking and the perfect bite are what genuinely excite me. When I boil it down — cooking pun! — that excitement and passion for discovering more of it is why I cook.
What is an especially cherished food or cooking memory of yours?
Growing up watching my Nonna cook in her kitchen in Tuscany. I still dream about it. I can literally close my eyes and envision it — the tastes, the smells, her refusal to ever measure ingredients, cooking by pure instinct. It’s a collection of memories that I’ll never forget.
How do you practice sustainability?
Great question! Especially as more and more folks get into home cooking inspired by what they see on social media which often doesn’t include tips and tricks for sustainability. I try to minimize food waste, compost food scraps and buy local and seasonal produce.
What stands out for you as a formative moment that got you into cooking or food at large?
I was inspired from a young age, watching both my Nonna and Father cook growing up. What you may find funny is that, until I was 12, I was more of an (admittedly chubby) audience member in the kitchen than help to both of them.
Tired of my uselessness in the kitchen, my Nonna reached out to a local restaurant owner-chef and asked that she allow her grandson the opportunity to receive some formal training in her restaurant. The chef in question was Chef Daniella of La Fonte, a local Italian/pasta restaurant. Chef Daniella agreed and off I went to learn from her.
Her teaching style emulated the charm of the tiny village of Pascoso where I was born: quiet, patient and caring. I owe Chef Daniella endless thanks for my earliest trainings in the kitchen.
Outside of the sandwich realm, are you just as passionate about other foods, ingredients or dishes?
Absolutely. Sandwiches have become what I’m known for, but they were really just the first recipes that really worked for the social media algorithms to help me get my foot into the door of the influencer space. I’m immensely proud of that but look forward to expanding my culinary horizons and the variety of recipes I share with my audience following this cookbook.
Are there any standout techniques throughout the book that differ from the usual approaches?
There’s actually a full section on technique. One specific example is using my grated weights or cast iron to get an even toast on bread. Big Toaster might have it out for me if enough readers follow in my footsteps.
Social media — and now cookbooks — have become your domain. What's next for you? Is food television possibly on the agenda?
In the immediate term, I’m looking forward to producing longer-format video content for my YouTube page. I like having the freedom and flexibility to work with my amazing production company partner to create series for YouTube that aren’t bound by the limitations of regular TV programming.
That being said, I’m definitely open to finding the right television series in the food space for myself. After all, not everyone is glued to their phone or computer screens. I also have aspirations in the product space as well, but I’ll keep those plans secret until there’s something more formal to share, at which point I’ll hit you up!
