- Elisa D.
- Monday, November 15, 2021
Owners and managers of two iconic Columbia, South Carolina restaurants remind us what can bring people together- sharing food and tradition with the community.
In recognition of both Asian American Heritage Month and National Immigrant Heritage Month, we sat down with the local owners and managers of Kao Thai and Camon Sushi to listen to their experiences with introducing Asian cuisine to Columbia, growing up in the South, staying afloat during the arrival of COVID-19, and what it means to be a part of the community. Watch them and others in a recent Richland Library AAPI Panel about the same topics here.
Kao Thai, Senate Street in the Vista
Gai Wilson, Owner
Sunshine Cobb, Manager
In 1986, Gai Wilson (pronounced ‘Guy’) owner of Kao Thai, a native of Bangkok, Thailand, arrived in San Francisco young and determined to find her way on her own, despite her family wishes, with only a few friends, and limited language ability. With little to no knowledge of running a business, but her understanding of great Thai cooking, Wilson began working in bay area sandwich shops, to moving to Atlanta where she remarried and worked in different steakhouses.
WILSON: Life was very hard. I did every job you can think of and wasn’t treated well. At the beginning, I cried so much missing home... comparing myself to all my friends who became successful. My parents wouldn’t want to talk to me for a long time.
Eventually, once things were more settled, and in her favor, she did take her children to Thailand to see their grandparents for the first time, who were very proud of her success. With great success in 2002, she helped establish a Thai restaurant, Thaicoon in Greenville, where her daughter, Sunshine Cobb, and now manager of Columbia restaurant Kao Thai, began her restaurant experience as a hostess.
But the success was hard on the family, she explains. Thaicoon was later sold, and in 2007 she started her very own restaurant, Tamarind Thai, a mainstay in Asheville, NC.
WILSON: It was a lot of hard work [to get here]. I got burned while working. When I first started Tamarind, I would sleep in the office and cut chicken sometimes to 2 a.m. (she says with a laugh). However, we were very successful in Greenville.
Cobb, having graduated from the University of South Carolina School of Business, fell in love with the historic Columbia area and saw it as perfect location for a Thai restaurant offering an upscale dining experience that would also serve as a showcase of Thai culture in the Vista.
COBB: I got into business school to get out of restaurants. I always joke with people because here I sit!
Thus, in 2018, Kao Thai (pronounced “cow tie”) was born. Kao, meaning rice in the Thai language, pays homage to one of the most vital grains in the world. For Asians and Asian-Americans, rice is a symbol of gathering and the comfort of home and family,” states their website.
Kao Thai offers a more focused menu with while also offering some fusion flavors. Sunshine shares that people keep coming back because of the intricate recipes. “We have a very high standard for our cooking. Our ingredients are expensive because they are authentically sourced- dishes are made to order.”
Adjusting to life in America
Gai and Sunshine both had to learn to navigate between their Thai culture and customs and those of the United States- a journey that had quite formative effects on them.
WILSON: In the American culture, for example, respect is earned. Us Thai avoid conflict at all costs, and we respect authority. I had to learn very quickly how to stand up for myself, and I’ve become stronger as a woman because of this learning experience. As an immigrant, we are known as “Robinhood”- we work hard, and some feel they have to stay hidden to keep safe.
COBB: I grew up with different norms than other kids. I didn’t grow up in the Asian community and I never really learned to read or write Thai, but we still adhered to some customs such as “you must honor family”, and I am no stranger to the idea of Asian Guilt.
"I had to learn very quickly how to stand up for myself, and I’ve become stronger as a woman because of this learning experience."
WILSON: My daughter did suffer from some bullying- name calling, facial mocking.
COBB: But it feels worse now. We did face a constant pressure to fit in, always having to prove yourself, but you know you never will. Thankfully, we became close to other immigrant families.
WILSON: I feel more American [than Thai] now.
COBB: I’ve learned it’s ok to be different. Find others to relate to and share your experiences.
During the height of COVID lockdown
Many restaurants including Kao Thai had to become extra creative with providing service while also keeping their customers and staff safe with limited knowledge, equipment and information- not to mention, confront the rise in Asian-American hate.
COBB: We are very lucky that Asian food lends itself to takeout, and that model was very successful during COVID. We had to make a decision to adhere to CDC and DHEC guidelines. Relying on other mandates or regulations that came too late or with little support would have made staying afloat difficult.
WILSON: At the beginning, it was very hard to enforce masks- some people became quite rude.
COBB: My hope is that everyone becomes more interested in showing more support to the Asian-American community, especially during a pandemic- be more supportive and compassionate in management decisions even if you have a problem- [we] are real people. The South Carolina Restaurant Association has been very supportive. They made sure we had all the equipment we needed to protect ourselves. All our staff was able to be vaccinated early on thanks to their direction, resources and help. We have really built a great clientele over the years who we would never be able to do this without or without our great team.
What are some of your favorite dishes?
The Roti curry is a favorite, they exclaim. It’s mixed with yellow and red curry, and lends itself to vegan, plant-based diets.
WILSON: Well, all the Thai curry is so unique- from Red to green, massaman to yellow. My mom’s curry is the best. She would make noodle curries... Indian style that she picked up from living on the Indian side. My mother’s recipes are derived from family who cooked for the King in Thailand...and I have learned so many of those.
COBB: They share the five flavors, the sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami all occur within Thai food as well as with Southern cooking. Flavors that so many Southerners would appreciate once they discover Thai food.
Royal recipes that are incorporated into both her restaurants and are now shared with everyday people in North and South Carolina. Many people who have never tried Thai food will be relieved to understand that Southern food has so much in common with Thai flavoring.
What’s Next?
Their goal for being in the Vista is to hopefully create more cultural awareness, appreciation, and bring more interest into the Asian Market. Wilson’s next business move? “I’d love to start an Asian bakery!”
Cobb now works in health administration while also helping manage the restaurant. She was featured in the library’s Food Brings Us Together Panel Discussion honoring local influential Asian-Americans in May for Asian-American Heritage Month.
Fast facts to know:
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According to the 2018 Annual Business Survey, approximately 7% of the Columbia businesses surveyed identified as Asian owned- businesses that have been here for generations and make the city the diverse and unique place that it is.¹
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This year for the first time, June 2021 was officially declared as the first National Immigrant Heritage Month, right behind Asian-American and Pacific Island Month in May
Camon Sushi, Assembly Street, Downtown
Kobayashi and Bowen Family
Camon Sushi is certainly a staple, being part of the first wave of sushi restaurants and Japanese steakhouses from the 1980s in America (“before Sushi was cool”), The Kobayashi family established their authentic Japanese restaurant in 1985 in Columbia, SC, 35 years in June. We spoke with Shigeharu (Shige) Kobayashi who grew up in Camon Sushi, now the manager, and two new members of the Bowen family who were hired during the pandemic, Hiroko Bowen and her son and current chef, Eric Bowen.
One of the special aspects of Camon is that pre-pandemic it served as a meeting place that brought the community together for both Asians and non-Asians- something that was sorely missed during their close. Community involvement didn’t stop there. Kobayashi, a local mover and shaker (and interestingly the creator of the "Columbi-Yea!" slogan) was a member in the Complete Count Committee formed by the mayor to boost Census participation and getting more business partners involved. While the issue of voting absentee was becoming more controversial, his social media was full of exposure on his efforts to be the very first absentee voter in Columbia (a story featured in the Washington Post)- no doubt encouraging his followers and community to the vote.
What makes Camon Sushi stand out, other than its house-made recipes (no white sauce here!), are the Izakaya style dishes and Okinawan style vegetables, meat cutting style, and Donburi curry-based bowls they offer (part of the underground menu for now). In true style, they don’t waste food, so there are so many combinations available just depending on the day, explains Kobayashi.
Growing up
Kobayashi spent his youth at Camon, all through his time in Airport High School, washing and serving, studied in Oberlin College, and did a year abroad in Japan. Born in the United States and raised in Okinawa, Eric Bowen met members of the Kobayashi family in high school and eventually worked his way to become Head Chef at Tsunami Restaurant on Harbison Blvd. before coming to Camon.
KOBAYASHI: I had an insecurity of learning Japanese, so going abroad seemed like a good way to get acquainted with the culture. I don't belong in both [cultures], but I claim both. That could be one of those moments where you felt a lot of self-doubt, but I grew a lot from that. Eric had a different experience growing up in both Japan and in the US, learning the Okinawan language and English.
"I faced racism in Japan and the US- it was hard to not grow some resentment of not being entirely Japanese or American, as some would put it....It is better now."
ERIC BOWEN: When I was growing up in Japan, there was still a lot of racism going on. I'm mixed [American and Japanese] and they didn't like that idea. I faced racism in Japan and the US- it was hard to not grow some resentment of not being entirely Japanese or American, as some would put it. It is better now than when we were growing up in Japan.
HIROKO BOWEN: My children spoke English at home and spoke the Japanese language and the Okinawan language. My family was different because they accepted my American husband with open arms. There is a big culture gap. The kids had a difficult time, but my mother helped me a lot. The kids eventually made friends.
KOBAYASHI: One of the things that I think about, relative to identity, is that sometimes you’ll hear people say..."When I go into an ethnic restaurant, I want to see people of that ethnicity working there,” and that really kind of chafes me because... it’s possible that you do have a personal connection to a place you don’t look like, in the way that I have a personal connection to life in the South, the American South, and there are people who will grant me that, and some people who won’t.... We have had many people of all sorts of appearances, men and women, working for us over the years who respect the culture. First glance appearances or identities of people aren’t what define the food that we serve here. I think about that pretty often actually.
Third Culture Kids
This social phenomenon of growing up not entirely one culture or the other and struggling with identity is known as “third culture”, an issue many more Americans are experiencing as the population becomes more and more integrated. Coined by sociologist Ruth Hill Useem in the 1950s, the term describes “children who live in countries foreign to their parents, and thus occupy a position between the culture of their parents and the culture of the country in which they live.”² A term that perfectly describes Bowen, Kobayashi, Cobb and so many others adapting to a mixture of cultures and making it their own.
ERIC BOWEN: You grow up with some Asian community, but not enough to gain a group identity.
A group identity that is found with the larger minority populations, such as with Hispanics or the African American community, and with it bringing mutual support and understanding, but lacking in the smaller minority groups.
What would he advise other third culture kids as far as how to handle living this third culture kid lifestyle?
BOWEN: I wish people wouldn’t be so judgmental. [To third culture kids] Be openminded. Just be yourself. You can look for other people who grew up overseas...who have been through the same thing and you’ll be just fine.
KOBAYASHI: There isn’t a path prepared for you- there is a safety and a comfort that you will never have. On the other side of that, they have a sort of a super power in that they have this vision to be able to... make a choice between one culture’s response and another culture’s response … in a way that somebody, who’s just in a monoculture, would be very difficult for them to do...
Regarding how others viewed him growing up? It took people time to realize that he belongs here, and that this is his home.
KOBAYASHI: I made it a point to speak well. I wanted to be recognized as the “local guy” [as opposed to being assumed as foreign]. There were times that others I knew faced danger and violence. Moving to a new neighborhood I would be told by my neighbors that my family and I were a good alternative to "something else".
Holding on through a pandemic
Despite the marked rise in Asian hate sprouting from the pandemic, he shares that the community came together for Camon during COVID, showing their willingness to wait to open until they felt safe.
“Diners sent us written notes and direct messages online showing us their support,” he explains, support that was not as readily given from local authorities.
“Open up space, increase [your] connections and networks to allow for more understanding. Call it out when your friends are racist.”
“It was frustrating that higher level people weren’t suppressing the spread with better policies to protect businesses early on.” He later added, “It really is kind of like every business for themselves- there's not a unified strategy. So, everybody has had to make their own decisions.”
When asked about how the Asian community could be supported both now and after the pandemic, he shared that it is worth supporting Asian gathering places like Camon. At the very least, he continued, create space for your Asian friends to feel welcome.
“Open up space, increase [your] connections and networks to allow for more understanding. Call it out when your friends are racist.”
As for those who are thinking of starting new businesses or restaurants, especially Asian owned, Kobayashi gives this advice:
“Incorporate yourself into the community and find ways to take part in wider events and conversations that are happening in the city. To say we are a part of it, serving a dish and supporting their lives in some way- it could be as simple as just being a place to meet... Join the community.”
What are some of your favorite dishes?
HIROKO BOWEN: I’d like to recommend the chicken with teriyaki sauce with curry rice. It’s very delicious! Also, the salmon dinner... with a special sauce, and the Yakizakana sushi.
KOBAYASHI: Our curry is really good. A shrimp curry would be pretty excellent. The Camon #2 is great- the flavors balance so well with each other. The Lifesavor Roll is excellent! ... Everything is really good! We cure our own salmon here. People come for the nagini and sashimi- chefs who come eat here are very complimentary of our salmon.
ERIC BOWEN: It takes a long time to cure the salmon. It’s very good. I recommend everything- everything is so good. They used to have a dish called the foil Yaki, but they took it off the menu. It's the most outstanding thing! I've got to try to bring it back up [on the menu]... The ponzu sauce brings it to a whole other level.
HIROKO BOWEN: Our ponzu sauce is extremely different... it’s made here not from the store!
Things to remember
Given the struggles that have presented themselves this past year, Kobayashi reminds us all that, “Being a Japanese restaurant in the city doesn’t mean we only focus on Japanese things... We have a solidarity and a connection with every other restaurant that’s providing food from another culture.... We have a lot of people from many different cultures who eat here and they are always giving us tips on good restaurants and things like that... We are not in a community of just Japanese restaurants... we trade notes. We have helped each other out... To support them all is very important.
Daniel C. from the Sandhills Library branch also contributed.
Photos by Elisa D.
References
- 2018. Annual Business Survey. Census Bureau. Columbia, SC Metropolitan Area.
- Rathore, Elia. "I Don’t have a Hometown. It’s Taught Me a Lot." New York Times Company. Oct. 2018
Further Reading and Resources
Asian American and Pacific Islander-Owned Businesses in Columbia, SC
Food Brings Us Together Cookbook List
Food Brings Us Together Panel Video and Discussion
#OwnVoices: Asian & Asian-American Authors
Richland Library's Understanding Race, Equity, & Inclusion page
South Carolina Commission for Minority Affairs- Asian American and Pacific Islander Affairs Division
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