Shared Dreams: Yang’s Kitchen
Alhambra, CA— Christian Yang and Maggie Ho know a little something about full circles. They met in middle school in the San Gabriel Valley, started dating at San Marino High School, and even then, they dreamed of opening a restaurant together. Their lives took them to San Diego to study management, to the Westside for restaurant experience, and to Asia for five months to explore the cuisines that inspired them. But when it came time to make their dream a reality, they opened Yang’s Kitchen in Alhambra, less than a 10-minute drive from where they began. “The location is actually pretty sentimental to us because we grew up around here. I was born down the street,” said Yang.
If you’re not familiar with the San Gabriel Valley, it’s home to some of the tastiest and most diverse Asian food in the greater Los Angeles area--many would say in the entire United States. So although it may seem like a safe move to set up shop on home turf, it also meant that they were setting themselves up to be compared with what was widely considered to be the most authentic Chinese food in the U.S. “We didn’t know if people would accept more modern Chinese food. When we try to describe our cuisine to others, we’ve always struggled,” explains Yang. “We always saw it as an Asian-American Restaurant. I was born here, my dining and eating experiences were shaped by the San Gabriel Valley. My parents cooked at home, but we also went out and ate at other kinds of restaurants, [had access to] the best produce. We’re trying to tie it all together.”
While they may have been skeptical about the response that they would receive, when they opened in September 2019, the community came pouring in, as did rave reviews. Yang’s Kitchen appeared on list after list of the best new restaurants of the year: The Los Angeles Times, Eater, Bon Appetit, etc. The reviews primarily focused on what was coming out of the kitchen, but the crew at Yang’s was equally focused on what they were bringing into the kitchen. They source from family farms that focus on both sustainability and flavor. Produce like bok choy, napa cabbage, Chinese eggplant, and also staples like onions and sweet potatoes come from Hier Cheemeng Farms in Fresno. Yang explains, “They caught my eye because it’s always really, beautifully grown and seasonal. They grow rotationally, so they know when the crops taste the best.”
The next part of the tale is likely a familiar story to you by now: Bustling, acclaimed restaurant confronts global pandemic, pivoting to stay open while the dining room is closed. What you may not expect, however, is that this is the moment when Christian Yang reached out to Zero Foodprint. “When all the protests were happening, along with the election and the pandemic, there was so much social urgency. Everyone hunkered down and thought about what was important to them” said Yang. “We just felt that we have to give ourselves more of a purpose and mission. As we learned more and more about regenerative agriculture, we thought we can bring attention to these issues.” He went on to say, “If restaurants are going to make it through this pandemic, we all have to be more responsible, and change what we’re doing. That was our sense of urgency. It’s hard to make an impact as a struggling restaurant, but we need to, even if it’s just a small thing.”
Like Zero Foodprint, Christian, Maggie and the team at Yang’s Kitchen know that no one can solve this crisis on their own, but our members’ contributions add up to power to create dramatic change. “If farmers are able to grow good food in ways that take care of the earth... and if we can get the food to the restaurants and onto peoples’ plates, there are huge benefits possible! Health and climate are big ones. It could start a huge virtuous circle, where things get better. Instead of pricing each other out on food... if we could tap into that and have everyone buy into it, I think that’s the dream.”
Indeed, that’s the dream, and we are proud to be working with Yang’s Kitchen and every ZFP member business to make our shared dream into our reality.