Christina Ludwick’s first job after graduating from the University of Hawaii was at a Panda Express in Hilo.
“I loved the atmosphere in the restaurant,” she said. “I loved the restaurant business.”
Ludwick, who is originally from Saipan, part of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, later moved to Las Vegas to work at another Panda Express, but the city wasn’t right for her, so she took off for Denver, where she knew a friend. She opened her own restaurant, Wild Basil, which is still operating at 8247 S. Holly St. in Littleton.
Since then, she has opened and closed several other restaurants from Denver to Colorado Springs, all featuring one or more Asian cuisines. She currently owns Dumpling Spot inside Edgewater Public Market, Dumpling Kitchen in Denver’s Sunnyside neighborhood, Toki Ramen and Sushi on South Colorado Boulevard and Yu’s Noodle Shop in Lone Tree.
On Saturday, June 27, she opened her latest, Sandomi, also in Edgewater Public Market. It specializes in Japanese-style milk-bread sandwiches — known as sandos — and onigiri rice balls, Vietnamese banh mi and matcha lattes. It replaces Mugi Ramen and Poke, a five-restaurant mini-chain that Ludwick founded and recently sold to new operators.
The concept was inspired by trips that Ludwick and her husband have taken to Japan, where she said she fell in love with the flavors of sandos, onigiri and other Japanese “street foods.”
“I am a huge eater. I love food. My husband and I travel around the world to try different cuisines. But I have a passion for Japanese and Chinese food,” she explained, adding that since Americans love sandwiches, it was a perfect fit.
Sandos gained popularity over the past few decades as a high-quality convenience store item in Japan, and have since expanded into the U.S. In Colorado, they have caught on everywhere from street food carts to pop-ups, cafes and higher-end restaurants. Fillings typically include egg salad, chicken or pork katsu, and strawberries or other fruit with cream.
Sandomi sells all of those, as well as a deep-fried shrimp katsu, which Ludwick said is her favorite.
In addition, Sandomi’s menu offers five kinds of banh mi, eight kinds of onigiri, multiple Japanese curries, appetizers like gyoza and chicken karaage, and multiple flavors of matcha lattes and other beverages.
“I love the Edgewater Market,” she said about the seven-year-old food hall at 5505 W. 20th Ave. “And I thought this would be the perfect cuisine to bring to the neighborhood.”
