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Above: Chef Su makes duck bao; left: kalbi steak and eggs; right: pork belly bao
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wanted to strike the right balance between an affordable neighborhood place that makes our local clientele happy, but with dishes that are interesting enough to attract foodies from all over Vegas.”
Trucks, trials and travails A small casino off the beaten path is hardly an unconventional choice compared to Su’s initial solo ventures. In 2011, he invested his savings in Great Bao, a food truck serving playful riffs on Taiwanese steamed buns. While it was a hit with street food aficionados, Su was not as pleased with his own project. He quickly learned that the perks of a roving restaurant — cheap initial investment, low overhead, fewer hours — were anything but. “I thought I was getting a super deal, but the truck kept breaking down,” he says. “Suddenly a $6,000 project had turned into a $30,000 project. My bank account was dry, my credit cards were maxed out, and I had a few hundred dollars left to my name.” Like other desperate people in the digital age, he turned to Craigslist for salvation.
That’s where Su came across an unusual offer: a local beauty salon was looking for someone to operate an on-site café for its customers. It was an affordable brick and mortar option for Great Bao, but Su was unsure about the peaceful coexistence of soy sauce and shampoo. “I told myself there was no way,” he says. “People would never come. It was just too weird. But Jenny (Wong, Su’s fiancée and partner) told me, ‘Do what you do, and if you do it well, people will find you.’” Wong was right, even if Su describes the first few weeks as brutal. “There were days when I’d buy $200 worth of produce, then make $14 in sales,” he says. It took three months before Su ever saw a profit. After another seven, customers were spilling over from the café’s six seats into the salon area. That’s when the business changed management and cut ties with the chef. Su was unsure of where he’d land next; he only knew that it would not be at a celebrity chef’s mega-restaurant. “After Comme Ça, I decided that I’d never work for anyone else again,” he says. “I’ve learned a lot from my mentors, but I wanted something more. I had a very clear idea of what I wanted. It was time to execute a vision that was mine rather than someone else’s.” That vision began to take shape as early as
Tim Hunsaker, Au.D. Doctor of Audiology
Las Vegas
501 S. Rancho Drive, Suite A6 Las Vegas, Nevada 89106
Henderson
1701 N. Green Valley Parkway Building 8, Suite B Henderson, Nevada 89074
702-605-9133 phone 702-678-6159 fax
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