We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jacob Gorovoy. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jacob below.

Jacob, appreciate you joining us today. Alright, let’s take a stroll on memory lane, back to when you were an apprentice or intern. What’s a memorable story from that time that you can share with us?

In the summer of 2023, I had the incredible opportunity to spend a summer in Bilbao, Spain, as a culinary apprentice at the one-Michelin-star restaurant, Restaurant Mina. I had prior experience working in fine dining, but never in a kitchen of this caliber. I guess, from preconceived notions, I expected all the employees to be uptight, laser-focused, and solely committed to the food they were preparing. While in some scenarios, when necessary, this was certainly the case, I was glad to observe that the people I worked with were the most playful and loving cooks I’ve shared a kitchen with.

This experience made me realize that when all of us were committed to 60-70 hour workweeks, having fun was crucial to maintaining our sanity. I spent 8 weeks with the team, and shared some of my favorite memories of my life with them.

Now as I operate my own breakfast sandwich food truck/business, I try my best to incorporate a light-hearted element into how we operate. The reality of the industry is that it is grueling, long, and stressful, and once in a while, a joke, a goofy display, and some randomness can go a long way in keeping moral high in the long term.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Jacob Gorovoy, and I am currently a student at New York University, pursuing a degree in hospitality. Over the past six years, I’ve worked as both a line cook and in front-of-house positions in various restaurants throughout Colorado, Spain, and New York City. Through these experiences, I have gained culinary skills, developed a passion for hospitality (especially for making customers feel special and happy), and learned a lot about myself.

Since my Freshman year of college, I have had the idea to open a breakfast sandwich business. It was always a dish that I prepared often for my family, and I always liked to push the envelope on what belonged in a breakfast sandwich. I began selling sandwiches on the streets of Boulder, Colorado, ran one-night pop-up restaurant events, and now this summer, I have officially expanded to a food truck that is operating from June 14 – July 19, 2025.

I like to think of my breakfast sandwich business, Yasha’s Breakfast Sandwiches (my name in Russian), as an elevated breakfast brand that maintains the comfort of the breakfast sandwich experience. I have certainly tied in my fine-dining background into many of my sandwich components, which I think helps my company stand apart.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

While I can’t say I have a massive social media following, I have been able to create a decent amount of media growth over the past months while operating my food truck. I’d say my biggest piece of advice is to just send a message to those who you think may be beneficial to your growth. This includes social media influencers, friends, family, media publications, and literally anyone else who may appreciate the work you are doing. Majority of the time, people may not respond, but a few may, and even those few can make a huge impact.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I believe it is crucial to find 1-3 elements that you will pride your business on. In my case with Yasha’s Breakfast Sandwiches, my main things are delivering consistently excellent quality and unique food, and providing customers with unparalleled hospitality. When people visit the food truck, it is my priority to take care of them and make them feel seen/heard in any way I can. This means being kind, offering help with the menu, throwing in something on the house to make people feel special, and trying my best to never say no. The other part of the customer experience is delivering on my promise of incredible food. This stems from the many hours I spent recipe testing and my experiences working in kitchens over the past years.

By not spreading yourself too thin, and attempting to be perfect in everything, allow customers to feel comfort and rely on certain elements in their experience with your business, in my case being flavor and hospitality. Striving for excellency in just a few things can go a really long way with your customer base.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.yashasbreakfastsammies.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yashasbreakfastsammies/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacob-gorovoy/

Image Credits

Ethan Duster