By Sean Rinn

When thinking about what kind of place he would want to run, Grant Schley, owner of Ham & Cheese Deli, asked himself, “Where would I want to go?”

The answer? A sandwich spot serving mammoth-sized sandwiches made with elevated cooking skill and culinary creativity, good coffee and retro video games costing only a quarter a play.

“It’s a couple of guys doing exactly what they want, because this is what they would have wanted when they didn’t have the money or the know-how to do it,” Schley said. “We got old arcade games, man. We can play them whenever we want.”

The charm of Ham & Cheese is that it feels like a passion project realized. Don’t let the non-pretentious name fool you. The quality of each sandwich is raised by techniques learned in fine dining environments creatively executing several styles of classic sandwiches. Each creation feels like a little slice of the American Dream.

“All the sandwiches are sort of in a category of common and popular sandwiches. We’ve got a torta, we’ve got a banh mi, we got the turkey club, we got our version of a Reuben,” Schley said.

Among a long list of awesome sandwiches comes fun names to go with them, such as Beefer Sutherland and Rosemary’s Gravy. Schley borrows from his personal life and interests to inspire aspects of the restaurant, even allowing his wife and friends to come up with sandwich names when he can’t find the right one. He also pays homage to his favorite sandwich growing up, Mae’s on Market Street, with the California Street, a crowd favorite featuring smoked turkey, pastrami, avocado, pickled onion, lettuce and lemon pepper aioli.

Another popular choice is the Dropped a Banh on Mi, Schley’s spin on this classic Vietnamese sandwich. Not only is it packed with flavor stemming from pork pate, roast chicken, cilantro, pickled jalapeno carrots, cucumber and lemon chili mayo, but it is one of many sandwiches on the menu that ages well in the fridge.

Schley ensures that he does not cut corners with techniques and ingredients.

“I can walk into a restaurant, whether it’s a taqueria or a Michelin star place, and I kind of get it, right? I know what they’re doing over there,” Schley said. “Sometimes it’s a bummer if they’re cutting corners, but sometimes you’re like, ‘oh damn, they didn’t need to use that. That’s really good.’ Then I’ll go back to that place.”

Schley is a local San Franciscan, growing up in the Richmond and going to school at Cathedral and Lowell before going to University of Pacific to play football. Eventually, he finished his schooling at College of San Mateo where he wanted to use his English degree to write about food, which is how he enrolled in culinary school at the California Culinary Academy.

From there, Schley ventured out on an Odyssey, earning his wings at Chaya Brasserie studying under original Iron Chef legend Shigefumi Tachibe, and later under master chef Alex Ong becoming the Chef de Cuisine at perennial Bay Area Top 100 hot spot Betelnut Peiju Wu. These two experiences helped hone his craft with an intricate understanding of Japanese and Pan Asian cuisines.

“I was sort of becoming this native San Franciscan white guy chef who had a pretty keen understanding of some really specific and complicated Asian flavors, and I took a lot of pride in that,” Schley said.

Brazen Head was next, but the 14-hour shifts six days a week burned him out. That was followed by an executive chef stint overseeing the Park and Beach Chalet, The Rotunda Neiman Marcus, Tastes on the Fly at SFO, then as culinary director at the University of San Francisco before COVID-19 made him realize that it was time to work for himself and spend more time with family.

Creating a family-friendly community is important to Schley, so forging relationships with customers and being able to see their kids grow up is special. To Schley, his business isn’t about profit alone; it is a symbol for his own values. A family oriented, community centered fulfilment in his craft all in the neighborhood he was raised in.

“Kids are important and kids bring a good vibe,” Schley said. “And (for) parents – (there is) no alcohol. What’s a good money maker? Oh, well alcohol doesn’t go bad. ‘You should have beer.’ I get that a lot. No, I shouldn’t have beer. I should close at 2:30 and have killer coffee and sunshine and sandwiches and arcade games. You can have beer anywhere.”

When Schley isn’t at Ham & Cheese, he splits time with family and the community by helping out nonprofit City Hope with its cooking and coaching of a Pop Warner football team on weekends with his son as a member. Schley relishes the opportunity to have a family where he was raised.

“It’s the best neighborhood in the world, and I’ve traveled all over, and it’s in the best City, that’s for sure,” he said. “I don’t want to upset anybody else who’s true to their ‘hood, but the Richmond District is dope, and it’s got parks, and it’s got everything. It’s got families and working-class people.”

Ham & Cheese wants to give the neighborhood access to a club as well. It is partnered with Table22 to create its own Pantry and Provisions Club, meeting every third week of every month. Members receive house-made specialty items crafted by Schley and the Ham & Cheese team. Each package includes a rotating selection of limited edition off-menu items, signature breads, soups, pantry goods, meats, sauces, pastries and more.

If you’re looking for a neighborhood hangout that features large hearty sandwiches and vintage arcade games, head over to Ham & Cheese Deli.

Ham & Cheese Deli is located at 5501 California St. at 17th Avenue and is open from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday to Friday. It is closed on Mondays. Learn more at hamandcheesesf.com.