Tarit Tanjasiri

Tarit Tanjasiri is a baker and owner of Crema Cafe and Crema Artisan Bakers. In this interview he discusses his own immigration story, the evolution of his businesses, and COVID-19’s impact upon the food services industry.

KEYWORDS: Seal Beach, Thailand, bakery, restaurant, COVID-19, friendship,

Interview Transcript

My family history and stuff like that it’s not the usual immigrant who is looking for a better life. I think my family definitely wanted me to have a better education. I left Thailand when I was twelve; it was a 12-year-olds choice when my parents [said], “Hey, do you want to go study abroad?” And I said, “Sure.” I had no idea what I thought I was getting myself into. 

Tarit (second from left) and his family. Photo courtesy of Tarit Tanjasiri.

[Path to Your Current Business]

I’m in the restaurant and food service business. I started my business, in this [baking] industry, in 1995. After all these years being in this food business, I always wanted to bake. And in 2010-11 was when I started learning, going to classes, and found a teacher who went to French pastry school in Chicago and learned to bake bread. After all these years in 2012, I opened a bakery next door to the restaurant because I felt like that was a calling for me. All my friends told me not to do it because they all thought it was a hobby. 

[Involvement with Community Outreach]

And to answer your question about involvement in Orange County, is that we started this event called “Tastemakers of Orange County.” We started with just ten of us, ten chefs. It’s grown into twenty-two chefs and a bunch of vendors—everybody wants to come in and everybody wants to help out. And their first year, I think they made $25,000. And last year alone, they made almost $300,000. 

[Impact of COVID on Your Business]

We stayed open the whole time, even though our sales were a quarter of what we normally do. We stayed open, people didn’t know what to do, they didn’t know whether they could come out of their house or not. And when they needed milk, eggs, flour, yeast, coffee, butter—besides the omelets and pancakes, and sandwiches and salads and food—we provide all of that for our Seal Beach community. We started a community, a small community of friends, now selling all our stuff at this pop-up. It seemed like it was such a huge service for our community that we’re opening up and we’re selling stuff, but no, they are doing us a favor. They’re the ones that came in. So many people came in and supported us and—I mean, I’d never think people would come in and buy pastries, and they’re like, “Okay, I want six of this, eight of that, ten of this, five of that.” And then [it] comes out to $80 for pastries. And they’re like, “Here’s $100. Thank you for opening, thank you for being here.” And they’re taking stuff to their neighbors or their families or friends. So it’s really wonderful. 

[Final Thoughts for the Community]

I mean—I say that I say this to my kids as well—when someone says to me, someone young, like you guys, or my children would say, “Oh my gosh, Dad, I want your friends,” is pretty much what they say. “I want your friends.” And then [my daughter] revised it really quick, and she’d go “I want friends like yours.” Why? Is it because we recognize that friendship is and relationship is the biggest thing there is. There is no shortcut in relationship building. They may not be your closest friends, but if they are part of your trusted group and we do things for each other. We’re like “why would we do some things for somebody else that we don’t know? We don’t trust?” Reputation is everything. So to me, you do things and you have your reputation in mind. You have your integrity in mind. And your life is so much more fulfilling. What you do is not work.

Interviewers: Jenny Jihyun Kim and Su Jung Kim

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