One of the Country’s Favorite Condiments Has Surprising California Roots
Lost in the sauce.
-
CategoryFarm + Table, Makers + Entrepreneurs, Small Businesses
David Tran’s story of an immigrant entrepreneur in Los Angeles is almost as spicy as his famous red sauce.
Burritos, eggs, pho, Bloody Marys—you name it. Sriracha is as ubiquitous a hot sauce as you’ll find in the US, and there’s no shortage of foods that can be complemented by the Thai chili condiment. Its creator, David Tran, arrived in California on a ship from Vietnam in 2008. In 2018, just 10 years later, his Hoy Fung Foods pulled in $80 million in revenue.
But Tran has caught some flack from food critics who label his concoction just a watered down, “Americanized” version of the traditional Thai recipe. In the great tradition of immigrant entrepreneurs making it in America’s competitive culinary ecosystem, Tran’s story is nothing new. For many, the “Americanizing” of any dish carries with it negative connotations, but Tran isn’t one to brush the commentary aside. “It’s not a Thai sriracha. It’s my sriracha,” he said in a 2009 New York Times interview.
You can read the full story here.
30- to 40-Foot Waves Entice Big Wave Surfers to Mavericks Beach This Week
The Half Moon Bay hot spot is getting its biggest breaks in years.
For the First Time in 8 Years, California Is Officially Drought Free
A welcome break for a thirsty state.
How a Great Flood Devastated Agua Mansa, Once the Largest Settlement in the West
Ironically, its name means “gentle water.”