We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Vannak Seang. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Vannak below.
Hi Vannak, thanks for joining us today. Parents play a huge role in our development as youngsters and sometimes that impact follows us into adulthood and into our lives and careers. Looking back, what’s something you think you parents did right?
Growing up in an immigrant house hold we didn’t have much. Both my parents worked multiple jobs to be able to provide what they could for us. I grew up watching my parents struggle at times to raise us the best they could with what they had, so from a young age I understood why I wasn’t able to get new things or why I wasn’t able to do certain things like other kids, but I had a happy childhood. I understood the value of money at a young age helping my grandmother sell her homemade Cambodian desserts around our neighborhood, I always saved what money I received. My parents alway taught us to work hard for what we want! No matter what to never lose focus of the end goal. With that, I was able to work enough to put myself through college and then open Deja Brew Lounge with my business partner.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
My name is Vannakmolidy Seang, Vannak or V for short. During high school I was able to participate in a program called ProStart which is program for students to showcase their culinary and management skills. With the help of Chef Zhee Zhee and Jc we won the 2012 Prostart competition and we represented California in a state wide competition, we needed up placing 8th out of all 50 states. With that I was able to go to culinary school at The Art Institutes of San Diego, where I met my business partner Mariana Covarrubias. We started Deja Brew Lounge as a Capstone Project and a few years after graduation we emptied our savings and opened Deja Brew Lounge. Deja Brew Lounge’s mission is to strive to be a safe space for creative individuals from all walks of Earth. We pride ourselves on being a home away from home for the community. Our joy is to be able to provide a space that encourages everyone to let their creativity flourish. Deja Brew Lounge isn’t your cookie-cutter type of establishment. We offer high quality handcrafted beverages and pastries. Deja Brew Lounge is a coffee, tea and dessert lounge that features a menu that highlights and celebrates Hispanic and Cambodian flavors. Our purpose is not only to introduce our community to different flavor affinities and combinations, but to also gather and support other local businesses.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Owning a business wasn’t as easy as we thought. There are so many factors that we didn’t think of. As a business owner you have to think about all aspects from marketing to menu ideas to design. Not to mention all the legal aspects that come with being a business owner. There were many times throughout the process that we wanted to give up the most recent being the pandemic. No matter how hard we tried, the thousands of ideas that came to our heads it just seemed like everything was against us an endless hole of problems. The pandemic has been one of our biggest obstacles and I will not lie we are still struggling sometimes with the new way of life, as well as trying to recover. Our biggest saving grace as been the community. We never really realized how supported we are until the pandemic, our Community has help us through and through.
We’d love to hear about you met your business partner.
I met Mariana Covarrubias during college. We both were studying culinary arts at The Art Institutes of San Diego. We both ended up with a Bachelors degree in Hospitality management. We had majorities of our classes together and were always partners. Deja Brew Lounge was our senior capstone project, we presented the project and got great feedback so after graduation we went into the industry but still kept in contact with each other. Traveling to try new food trends, jokingly we started to talk about opening our own business together. One day we decided we had enough working for others and decided to open Deja Brew Lounge.
Contact Info:
- Website: Dejabrewlounge.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dejabrewlounge/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dejabrewlounge
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vannakmolidy-seang-7a2476123/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/deja-brew-lounge-san-diego?osq=deja+brew+lounge