It all started with a chicken, bacon and avocado sandwich.
“Now, I call it my OG sandwich,” laughs Owen Han.
The celebrity food influencer had been sharing his recipes on TikTok with a growing audience, but it was the OG sandwich that went viral.
“I wasn’t even planning to post that day. I just happened to film my lunch, which was the chicken sandwich. It was the first video to break a million views. After that, I did a steak sandwich that broke 10 million views. Then I was like, ‘OK, sandwiches are my thing. Let’s go.’”
Of the countless food accounts on social media, why does Han think his content stood out?
“There’s a little bit of luck that goes into it,” he admits.
He also focused on adding ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response) to his content — like the sound of crunching bread, the sizzling of a pan or the chopping of a knife — while he was making sandwiches.
“I think that had a lot to do with it,” he says. “I just tried to figure out what worked, which was showing the cross section of the sandwich, so there was a visual component and then using sound as well.”
To date, his follower count is 4.3 million on TikTok and 2.4 million on Instagram. His unconventional sandwiches have become so famous, he was summoned by Martha Stewart — “the Queen,” as Han refers to her — to demonstrate a fried tomato BLT.
Her review: “Mmm, good sandwich.”
Born in Italy, at age 6 Han moved with his family to Sarasota, Florida, returning to Tuscany every year to spend summers with his grandmother, or nonna, the family cook.
“From an early age, I pretty much fell in love with food, and I really owe it to her, although I was much more of an eater than a chef,” Han, now 26, recalls. “She fed me a lot of pasta and stews, but a lot of meat too — ones we don’t eat as much in the States, like boar and rabbit. I was so fortunate to have that experience. I wasn’t a picky eater, I tried everything.”
She also made him sandwiches.
“One of my earliest food memories was pane and Nutella. In the States, it’s PB&J, but for us, it was just bread and Nutella.”
She arranged for Han to apprentice at local restaurants, where he learned to make delicacies like homemade tagliatelle, ravioli and different kinds of sauces.
“In eighth grade, we had to write down what we wanted to be when we grew up. I wrote that I wanted to own a Chick-fil-A.”
By the time Han enrolled in UCLA, where he majored in economics and minored in nutrition, he knew food was his calling.
“I wanted to work with food, but I didn’t know what that would look like. As I got older and did more research, I learned how tough it was to get into the restaurant industry and how many of them fail.”
Using his degree, he pivoted to dietetics, a field that focuses on the science of nutrition.
“I started working at a hospital, delivering food to patients, thinking I was going to go back to school to get my master’s when I started posting my food on social media.”
It was his college roommate who introduced him to TikTok, which at the time he dismissed as an app for dancing teenagers, Han admitted in an interview with NPR.
Still, he gave it a try. The first recipe he posted was a shrimp toast recipe from his Asian grandmother.
“I posted that and it happened to do well. Eventually, things took off and it started to become a career of its own,” he explains. “I never thought something like this would be a possibility.”
What he prefers about social media over a traditional chef’s path, he says, is freedom.
“It offers a lot more creativity and flexibility. Whereas an owner or a chef might need to curate their offerings based on pricing and location, I don’t have any of that stress. I’m doing what I like to do and the algorithm plays toward my strengths. I film in my house, so it also gives me the freedom to make my own hours.
“That being said, I have a lot of respect for people who go the traditional route and work their way up, but these days, that alone in a work setting can be an outlet for content.”
The success of his content, unsurprisingly, led to a book deal.
“Stacked: The Perfect Art of Making Sandwiches” was published in 2024 and widely praised by food critics and fans alike.
Among Han’s favorites are sandwiches that combine his Italian heritage with recipes from his Chinese grandmother.
“There’s one called the Not-So-Classic Cheesesteak, where I take a classic sandwich and put my twist on it by adding ginger and garlic and then soy sauce, sriracha and oyster sauce. So, it’s almost like I’m making Beijing beef in a way. Then I melt mozzarella, provolone and pickled spicy peppers to have that acid cut through all the richness.”
For vegetarians, the book also includes a recipe for seared veggie burgers, which mimic the texture of beef by incorporating quinoa. The book also includes dessert sandwiches, like an elevated ice cream sandwich and brie toast with fresh strawberry-ginger jam.
Another favorite, he has said, is his Turkey Crunch, which layers turkey with Parmesan chips, red onions, a hint of pepperoncini, pesto and Calabrian chili mayo.
“To me, that’s the ultimate turkey sandwich.”
As a rising star, Han was invited to the 2025 South Beach Wine & Food Festival, where he signed copies of his book and held a workshop, called — what else? — “The Perfect Sandwich Dine & Demo.”
He also enjoyed meeting fans and fellow chefs face-to-face after having long admired them onscreen.
“On social media, you don’t get the same kind of interaction; you’re just scrolling through comments and DMs,” he says. “The best part was meeting other food influencers and people I grew up idolizing on TV, like Alex Guarnaschelli, Rachael Ray and Guy Fieri. It’s always surreal that I’m having conversations with them. It’s incredible.”
Still based in Los Angeles and now known as the “Sandwich King,” Han continues to expand his social media platform.
“I’m leaning a little more into Instagram now and trying to tap into YouTube because it lets you do more long-form content where I can speak more. But no matter what, it’s like I tell everyone, this is a dream job.”
Owen Han’s Top 3 Sandwich Tips Anyone Can Follow
1. It’s All About The Bread
“You have to get great bread. Find the best possible loaf because that’s your foundation. If you don’t have good bread, you’re not going to have a good sandwich.”
2. Don’t Over-Sauce
“You’ve got to get the ratios right because you don’t want the sandwich falling apart. A soggy sandwich is the worst.”
3. Mind Your Layers
“If you layer all your ingredients in the middle of the bread, they’ll get smushed to one side when you cut the sandwich down the middle. That’s a personal peeve of mine. It’s important to assemble your layers evenly.”