“On Oct. 1, 1994, he opened his market, where his wife, their son Somboon, and other relatives still work alongside him. “The first year, business was not bad,” he remembers. “The second year it was better. Three years ago, this location was still nothing. Now it is different. I’m lucky. I really don’t know anything. But I work hard, seven days a week.”

“Though by no means a supermarket, what InterAsian lacks in size, it makes up in thoughtful selection of specialty items and produce and customer service.”

“But the other important secret is that InterAsian Market has a tiny deli counter inside the front door that serves up some of the best and most affordable sandwiches in town.”

“A perfect balance that starts with a crusty house-made French roll schmeared with pork pâté and mayonnaise and then stuffed with Vietnamese pork and a crunchy slaw of carrots, daikon, jalapeño, and cilantro. It hits all the right notes: creamy, crunchy, spicy, acidic.”

“Every bite of this grand sandwich says “handmade.” Cook Boonkheng Xayarath starts her banh mi with the right bread, crackling outside and chewy inside.”

“Vietnamese sandwich with French influence: rib roast pork, house-made pâté and butter, pickled papaya, carrots, jalapeno cilantro, & cucumber on a french hoagie. Vegetarian option available. ”

“Just north of I-440 on Nolensville Pike you’ll find this 20-year plus old gem. And the go-to order is a banh mi. What $5 gets you: a fresh banh mi and a drink.”

“Not only do they have great Asian goodies, but they also carry a beautiful selection of fresh produce, duck eggs, mushrooms, and it’s all fantastic. The best part of the market is their Bahn Mi sandwiches. Made to order and always warm when you get it.”

“This is one of those sandwich that people absolutely RAVE about, especially when it comes from the InterAsian Market Deli.”

“As far as the store’s Banh Mi goes, it’s as good as you’ve probably heard. And if you haven’t heard, well now you have … go try some today! The deli sandwich is an interesting combination of flavors that mesh in an unexpectedly incredible manner.”

“If the InterAsian Market and Deli seems familiar to you, it may be because your friends have been raving about the banh mi (said to be the best in the city) or perhaps you saw mention of them in last month’s Food and Wine magazine, in which Erik Anderson of The Catbird Seat noted that the sandwich was the perfect banh mi from the city’s “primo family-owned Southeast Asian market.”

“InterAsian Market on Nolensville Road sells a good banh mi made to order...everything else that should be on the sandwich is there—the tangy carrot slaw, the crisp cilantro flavor, the sweat-inducing jalapenos, the slided meats, the unmistakable pâté.”

“Bigger, better InterAsian Market, the Asian foods store favored by Vietnamese, Laotian and Thai immigrants—as well as local chefs—recently moved across the street to a new location at 2160 Nolensville Road. Opened by Laotian immigrants Joy and Boonkheng Xayarath in 1994, the new store is about twice the size of the original and has an expanded fresh produce section. Southeast Asian sandwiches, soups, noodle dishes, desserts and other specialties are prepared there daily; they can be taken to go or eaten in-house at one of the tables in the front of the store.”

“Meanwhile, the overflowing stock at InterAsian Market on Nolensville Road near the Fairgrounds reflects the store’s name: canned, packaged and bottled goods from China, Japan, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia...and, um, Mexico. Best of all is the fresh produce section, which stocks all kinds of Asian greens, from bok choy to gailan, along with abundant tropical fruits like mango, lychee and rambutan (when in season), and much more. If you’re hungry, order a freshly made banh mi sandwich from the kitchen in back.”