SandwichShoppe

ecipes to local ingredients, equipment, and staff. An example, if you will. In most bakeries – not just in Phuket, but all around the world these days – making a chocolate chip muffin is a boring, rote experience. You measure out so much yellow cake mix, stick it in a mixer with powdered milk and water, toss in a cup of enhancer (a chemical concoction chock full of emulsifiers and preservatives), add some cheap chocolate chips, beat the hell out of it, slap it in the oven, and viola! a chocolate chip muffin. We don’t work that way. We build the batter from scratch, in a specific order, mix it carefully by hand, the way my Mom taught me. We use premium chocolate chips, and bake to golden perfection. You can taste the difference. Our muffins have a distinctive texture, not at all like yellow cake. The chocolate doesn’t leave a waxy residue in your mouth. There’s no cloying sweetness. No preservatives. No chemicals. Each of our goodies has a similar stellar pedigree: our coconut cake uses freshly-ground coconut, for example; my Mom’s original Death By Chocolate Cake boasts a special blend of three premium chocolates; our sandwiches contain real ham, not some slab of tasteless heat-pressed pig byproducts; our cheese comes from cows, not oil and milk solids. It took six months to perfect our New York bagel recipe; not quite H&H, but close. Our English Muffins rival Wolferman’s in Kansas City. Our croissants – the best on the island – are made with French butter and flour, because they bake better. And on and on. We now supply several five-star hotels and restaurants, as well as upscale coffee shops, villa management companies, tour companies, and our own Sandwich Shoppes. If you’ve notice that the food at certain Phuket Airport shops has improved recently, well, we’re behind that, too.