The strength of a man is often found in the firmness of his convictions. That being the case, Son Bui is one of the strongest men in Tucson.
"Small businessmen have to have heart and soul and be willing to work long and hard, do whatever it takes, to make a success. If you just do it for money, it won’t work. If I put in 100 percent every day, good things will happen," says the owner of Son’s Bakery-Café.
  
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Bui fled his native Vietnam at age 13 when a boat owner offered a chance at freedom. Under cover of darkness, Bui sailed with 50 other refugees – boat people – floating seven days and six nights, crowded together, before eventually touching land in Malaysia.
A year later, in 1983, Bui, his sister, and nephew came to the United States to pursue the Great American Dream, "where you can make anything possible if you work hard to earn it," he says.
Proving at an early age that little would stand in the way of his dream – including the fact he spoke no English – Bui got a job as a dishwasher in a southside Tucson cafeteria. There he encountered reality.
Bui explained he always considered himself a hard worker but because he was the "new strange guy" others left their dirty dishes for him to wash when he got to work. "So I just work harder," he says.
A similar situation occurred when he went to school to learn English as a second language.
"Other kids make fun of me, a foreigner who cannot speak their language, someone who dresses funny, but when people make fun of me, it makes me stronger and tougher and determined to learn, because whatever you learn, nobody can take it away," he says emphatically.
Bui became accustomed to his work ethic as a youngster in Vietnam, planting crops and caring for pigs.
"That comes from inside me, inside my heart, where I know that hard work is necessary for success," he said.
And so he worked at the cafeteria, doing extra loads of dirty dishes, pots and pans until he secured a new job, doing clean-up work at a mid-town bakery.
"I always showed up on time and worked hard, and one day the owner asked me if I wanted to learn to be a baker," Bui said. "I don’t know how, but he pays me $3.25 an hour, so I watch and learn and get better and better. I worked there for five years before leaving to take a baker’s job at an eastside guest ranch where they teach me how to be a chef. I always want to learn and do new stuff. People tell me something and I do it, and do it better each time."
The on-the-job restaurant training – front-of-the-house, back-of-the-house, waiting tables, preparing food, washing dishes, mopping floors, or whatever else needed doing – paid off when Bui opened Son’s Bakery-Café, on the north side of Speedway just east of Craycroft Road.
The married father of two sons will celebrate his fifth year in business in March. Opening day is still etched in his mind.
Young and optimistic, and being a good guy, Bui figured all he needed to was cook good food and people would show up and eat like crazy. But that’s not the way it happened. Those first couple of weeks, he said he was lucky to make $20 or $30 a day, which he said make him only want to work harder. He pulled chairs together and slept at the restaurant so he could be there longer hours.
He said he figured he would have only one chance and if he didn’t grab it and make it work, it wouldn’t happen.
From that he said he learned that he has to earn customer loyalty by providing good food and good service to every customer.
Bui said he believes that if "you’re a good person and generous and you have a good heart and work hard every day, good things will come. You don’t know when or how, but it will happen."
And it has. Local food critics have raved about his small strip-mall café. A review in the Tucson Weekly called Son’s Bakery-Café "a treasure," a reviewer in the Tucson Citizen said the "brownies worth breaking a diet" and the Arizona Daily Star referred to "baked treats worth drooling over."
Bui’s homey café continues to pull in a loyal crowd.
"Everthing on the menu is good," he says. "As long as you eat happy, I stay in business."
In an industry known for its high failure rate – even among owners who also work hard – Son’s Bakery-Café thrives serving breakfast and lunch "with food fresh and made from scratch."
Menu items range from a variety of egg dishes (Son’s mini, traditional, pancake, low carb, or 18-wheeler breakfast) to luncheon options such as egg rolls and Vietnamese pho.
And then there are the bakery delights. One of the treats that routinely flies out of the display case is called a chocolate mountain. It’s a devil’s food cupcake topped with chocolate butter cream and glaze.
Comments
Bob P. wrote on Jan 29, 2008 9:27 PM:
John and Jane Neve wrote on Jan 26, 2008 3:10 PM:
John and I were probably among Son's first customers since we live in the neighborhood. Every Saturday morning, after our work-out at the Fifth Street Fit Center, we have a standing order of a couple of his cinnamon rolls. They are to die for and melt in your mouth. Son sees us coming and bags them up! His breakfasts and lunches are worth a stop as well.
We know Lee from the Fit Center and have enjoyed all the articles he has written in the various magazines.
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