Startup Directory

Untamed Sandwiches

Originally, Andy Jacobi ‘12BUS wanted to build a grassfed meat company. But he quickly learned that artisanal products have a lean margin. He didn’t want to give up on his dream on delivering high quality meat, but he needed to find another way to deliver both quality and profits. Enter his partner, Ricky King, Executive Chef at McKittrick Hotel,  The pair came up with a farm-to-table, high-volume lunch spot concept and they called it Untamed Sandwiches. While “farm-to-table, high-volume.” may seem like an oxymoron, Jacobi and King hit upon a key technique that allows them to make slow food very fast: braising.

Braising is a preparation intensive cooking technique — taking five days from marinating to cooking– but allows Untamed Sandwich makers to build a delicious sandwich in under a minute. And Midtown Manhattan is the best place to test out this concept, with its lack of quality fast lunch venues and high volume of office space. Jacobi chose Untamed’s location shrewdly. He knew that there would be a market willing to pay a premium for premium ingredients in the maligned Midtown area. Two years later and Jacobi’s hunch was right. The lunch line gets longer all the time and Untamed’s expansion into catering has gone off without a hitch.

If your stomach is growling for high quality, farm-to-table fast check out Untamed Sandwich’s menu. While Jacobi can’t pick a favorite, each month they have a special sandwich that they donate a dollar for each one made to a charity. This month’s sandwich is the Frere Jacque, and all proceeds raised will go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.