FAMILY BUSINESS
“ We bring them our culture , we bring them our hospitality , we bring them choices . A lot of Little Saigon , in this area it ’ s a lot of small businesses , different small restaurants , and they put color in the rainbow .”
JONATHAN LAM co-owner , Pegasus Bakery & Cafe
skills , as well as family members , which kept costs down . Sociologists call these groups “ middleman minorities ,” ethnic merchants who act as conduits between the producer and the consumer . Asian grocers in Little Saigon , such as SF , A & A and Vinh Phat supermarkets , for example , will source niche products nationally and internationally , and then make them available in a single place , filling a gap left by mainstream supermarkets .
“ We went there when we couldn ’ t afford anywhere else ,” Hoang says . “ We built homes , we built businesses , the businesses became million-dollar projects . It created jobs , it gave people a sense of identity .”
Also in the 1980s , Pham ’ s parents and her in-laws each separately moved to the United States from Vietnam , where they had determined that they could not raise their children in a post-war environment . New to the Bay Area , Pham ’ s mother-inlaw started working at an eatery hawking banh mi , Vietnam ’ s national sandwich , until she was finally spurred to action by a thought that has occurred to so many families : Why not strike out on our own ?
Huong Lan Sandwiches laid down stakes in San Jose and then expanded to Sacramento in the early aughts . The company now slings sandwiches at nine locations , from Rancho Cordova to Fresno , with each deli managed by a family member .
“ For our parents on both sides , it ’ s been a long journey for them ,” Pham says one evening this summer after bringing pork noodles home to her mother-in law , the matriarch of the Huong Lan dynasty . “ And so , as kids , to have kept that going for them , I think they ’ re very proud of us .”
A history of pluralism
Sometimes consumers want the familiarity and uniformity of a corporate chain . Other times , they want a cake with mango filling and blueberry toppings , custom made at a mom-and-pop patisserie . Lam , who has made that cake , says Pegasus gives patrons authenticity and options , like with coconut buns and Instagram-ready crepes .
“ We bring them our culture , we bring them our hospitality , we bring them choices ,” he says . “ A lot of Little Saigon , in this area , it ’ s a lot of small businesses , different small restaurants , and they put color in the rainbow .”
He has a mural to match . Step into Pegasus , and the first sight is a rainbow painting from wall to wall , anchored by the bakery ’ s equine namesake .
36 comstocksmag . com | October 2020