The grill sizzles as Maud Algutaini throws ground beef and thinly sliced onions and green peppers on to cook. As the owner of the newly opened NYC Chop Cheese, and with 12 years of experience under his belt, Algutaini commands the grill with ease.
Once the meat, onions and peppers are about done cooking, Algutaini chops the mixture up and slaps some cheese on top. The famous chopped cheese sandwich comes together when everything is then put on a toasted bun with mayonnaise, lettuce and tomato.
“You couldn’t get a better sandwich,” Algutaini said.
NYC Chop Cheese opened on April 20 on the corner of Fourth Street and Cherry Avenue in the space that used to be occupied by V Burgers. Algutaini opened the restaurant to bring the popular New York sandwich to Long Beach.
“This is something that was missing [here],” he said.
Chopped cheese is a New York specialty that has gained popularity recently on social media thanks to creators like “The Ocky Way,” whose one-million-plus YouTube subscribers watch him create extravagantly customized versions for celebrities.
Algutaini describes the sandwich as “a burger that’s just seasoned [and] chopped up.” New Yorkers love it because it’s a quick meal that they can grab on the go and have it cooked to their liking.
“What’s special about New York is you can order your food however you want,” Algutaini said.
Beyond the famous chopped cheese, NYC Chop Cheese offers hot and cold deli sandwiches ranging from $6.99 to $12.99, breakfast sandwiches from $2.99 to $7.99, and a variety of side dishes with à la carte prices from $3.99 to $5.99.
NYC Chop Cheese starts every day with freshly baked bread and quality ingredients. Algutaini’s business partner Kamal Alshami even brought a big box of the special seasoning they use from his recent trip to New York.
“It took up my whole luggage,” Alshami said.
Algutaini, a New York native, met Alshami in 2006 when he moved to New York from Bakersfield. Algutaini introduced his new friend to chopped cheese, and Alshami fell in love.
Alshami loved it so much he opened a chopped cheese deli in New York a year later with Algutaini as his partner.
“After that, it became a passion,” Alshami said.
When Algutaini moved to California and decided to open NYC Chop Cheese, Alshami quickly jumped on as a partner in the venture.
Before they start expanding their business, or even getting set up on apps like DoorDash and UberEats, Algutaini and Alshami want to make sure NYC Chop Cheese is perfect.
They say their early success is a good measure: Based on the sales from the first month alone, Algutaini and Alshami are already thinking about wanting to open another location in the near future.
Alshami also hopes to someday expand their kitchen to be able to bake their bread themselves.
NYC Chop Cheese, 420 Cherry Avenue, is open every day from 9 a.m. to midnight.