Health & Fitness
Petaluma Ca$h Mob Celebrates the American Dream at Gohan
Gohan will be Ca$h Mobbed this weekend, in celebration of the 10th anniversary of its young owner's emigration to the U.S.
I’d heard about the late Steve Tam, former owner of Gohan, but had never heard the full story of who’s running the popular Japanese restaurant today.
It’s a success story for our times and a great reason to join the grassroots Petaluma Ca$h Mob this weekend.
Mr. Tran Lee emigrated from Vietnam in 2002 at the age of 15 with his brother Kevin, 22, and sister, 29. His parents are still in Vietnam. His brother went on to spend time in France, his sister in Japan. He stayed in Sonoma County, entering the restaurant business in his junior year in high school, at Yao-Kiku in Santa Rosa.
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Working his way up from the back of the kitchen there to the front of the house at Gohan, Tran Lee was trained personally by Tam, who grew up around restaurants. After Tam’s passing, Tran Lee eventually decided to buy Gohan with his brother. Although Tran Lee had studied at the Santa Rosa JC and was working on a business degree at SSU, keeping the kitchen together meant putting his education on hold for a bit.
With just 18 credits to go, at the moment he’s concentrating on being the head of what he calls his family: the staff at Gohan. Just a year ago, the Lees hired back one of the original chefs, Marcus Umino, and Lee is extremely pleased to report that the young staff who have remained since he took over respond well to the mentorship of Umino, Lee, and others from the first generation at Gohan.
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When asked what makes Gohan special, Lee says, “We don’t do any advertising.” “Mostly people know us by word of mouth.” He’s proud to say that Gohan is an active member of the community, donating time and food to organizations like the Boys and Girls Club. July 19 marks the tenth anniversary of Tran Lee’s arrival to the United States.
What better way to celebrate than joining him at Gohan for a true community hug: a Ca$h Mob?
Note: Gohan means “rice”, but more broadly, “meal,” in Japanese. Gohan is located at 1367 N. McDowell. It's open for dinner daily and during lunch Monday through Friday.
