Today we’d like to introduce you to Julie Ngu.
Julie, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My parents immigrated here in the late 70’s and were penniless. They are perfect examples of the American Dream in action. My parents didn’t even speak English when they first arrived. My mom and dad both had all sorts of odd jobs that mostly comprised of “behind the scenes” type of work. They cleaned kitchens, babysat children, prepped the meat for restaurants, mopped floors until midnight, patched up tires, and finally they had enough to open their own little business. It started as a 400 square feet bakery delivering French Rolls to little markets and liquor stores nearby. After 30 years, we grew into a 20,000 square foot bakery where we sell directly to the public through our very own retail bakery store front as well as our delivery fleet that delivers fresh rolls to restaurants and supermarkets everyday as far as Sherman Oaks to Fullerton. It remains a family business and every roll we make is still made with the same love and tenacity as we did 30 years ago.
Has it been a smooth road?
I wish I could have said it was smooth, but looking back, I cherish the bumps because I now know it gives us character. We were an ity-bity store when the LA riots were going on. All of our savings were put into the bakery and if we lost that, my parents didn’t know what would happen to their 4 daughters. My mom was at home with the 4 of us and my dad stayed day and night at the bakery until the riots were over. He stayed locked inside with chains around the doors and all entrances praying nothing would happen. Luckily, the riots passed that street for two days and three nights.
There were times where supermarkets would tighten their belts. Especially in 2008, there was a trend out there when many supermarkets were trying to bake their own bread and in turn we took a hit. We had to penny pinch everything. I remember having to be creative when saving on operating times. We had to move schedules around and produce during times where electricity was cheaper. Our drivers had to consolidate routes and I even pulled a driver off of the route and had him help the bakers. We already wore so many hats, but we had to have our teams do the same. We all had to work together in order to really make it work.
In the beginning, my family (the 6 of us), were living off $20 a day. The bakery was our babysitter. My mom tells us stories of how we were helping out before we were even able to count.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Pacific French Bakery story. Tell us more about the business.
We specialize in French Rolls and Central American Sweet Bread. I grew up with these breads. It’s freshly made everyday. No matter how tough it got, my mom and dad refuse to compromise the quality of our products. We have hot rolls coming out of the ovens all day long, seven days a week. Just come by and you’ll know what I’m talking about. It’s a very niche market but we love it. We have over 100 varieties of Central American sweet goods–mostly Guatemalan and El Salvadorean baked goods.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
There’s a big move toward gluten-free products. I have been looking at new trends popping up on the industry. The food world is a fascinating place and every-changing.
Contact Info:
- Address: 4152 West Washington Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90018 - Website: www.pacificfrenchbakery.com
- Phone: 323-735-1700
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @pacificfrenchbakery
- Facebook: Pacificfrenchbakery
- Yelp: Pacific French Bakery
Image Credit:
Julie Ngu
