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Photograph by Skye Dunlap
Nary Tan, owner of Cafe Aroma, offers a wide array of baked goods from croissants to Russian Napoleons at her coffee shop on El Camino.
Cafe Aroma stands as a testament to hard work
By Kelle Schillaci
Cafe Aroma is one of those places where owner Nary Tan knows her regulars by the way they take their coffee.
"Long time no see," she says to a tired-looking gentleman slumping through the doorway in need of an afternoon caffeine jolt. She has his cup prepared by the time he gets to the counter.
He eyes the pastry cart full of unusually decadent choices: pecan tarts half dunked in chocolate; crusted Russian Napoleons dusted with powdered sugar, humongous chunks of iced carrot cake (all $2.50). A selection of nut rolls, oatmeal and chocolate chip cookies, biscotti and bagels rounds out his counter options.
"On a good day, we sell at least 20 sandwiches, and a lot of coffee," Tan says.
In addition to the pastries, Cafe Aroma features a full chalkboard menu of soups, tossed salads and French-roll sandwiches. For a quick breakfast deal, Tan offers ham and cheese bagels or croissants and a cup of her locally roasted coffee for $3.60.
But despite all of her hard work, Tan says, she has recently found her business suffering a bit.
"Yes, it is slowing down sales," she says. The "it" she refers to is that juggernaut of American coffee culture, which popped up in the strip mall adjacent to hers, featuring a gigantic inflated latte-shaped balloon. Another Starbucks has landed, and Tan's shop feels it.
With no restaurant background, Tan's training came directly from hands-on experience. It had been a distant dream to own her own business.
Tan and her prominent business-owning family lived in Cambodia, in 1975, when the Khmer Rouge took over. Within a year's time, her 16th birthday, Tan had lost everything. Homeless and alone, her family gone, she trekked through years of domestic servitude. Finally, while residing in a Red Cross camp facility in Thailand, she was contacted by her sister, who had somehow survived the ordeal and fled to the States.
In 1981, with $5 in her pocket and knowing not a word of English, Tan boarded her first plane and came to join her sister in San Diego. Flash forward 18 years. Tan's 7-year old son runs into the cafe, excited and hyper about his new stack of Pokémon cards. He takes a seat on the table by the news rack while his mom makes small talk and blends a customer's Aromachino (a decadent white and dark chocolate concoction with espresso, milk and crushed ice).
Other customers sit down with laptops, business proposals, homework or friends, lingering over their lattes and relaxing.
"We have a good product, and if I have a lot of people come in, I feel happy," she says.
"I put my whole life savings into this," Tan says, motioning around the cafe. The decor, simple European-styled wood cabinets and Tan's own handmade artwork, reflects a comfortably homey style.
Tan tousles her son's hair, moves to empty the trash bin, grabs a broom and prepares for closing time.
Cafe Aroma, 3488 El Camino Real, 408.985.9555. Hours Mon-Sat. 7 a.m.-7 p.m., Sun. 8 a.m.-3 p.m.
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Sunnyvale, California Since 1994
