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A-Chau
Since the end of the Vietnam War, many Vietnamese families began settling in San Diego. In City Heights, families were welcomed with settlement programs, which is why there is a large cluster of family-owned Vietnamese businesses along El
Cajon Boulevard. A Chau, which means Of the Orient, has had their stake in this community since 1986. A Chau was first at 54th and University, but when it was time to expand, they moved to El Cajon Boulevard at Menlo Avenue. This is in
the center of what today is being branded as the Little Saigon district.
When the Nguyen family first arrived in San Diego, Hoa, the mother of the family, had a dream of owning her own business. She refined her skills in Vietnamese cooking, particularly on a selection of meats such as ham, head cheese and
pâté, traditionally suited for the Vietnamese sandwich known as banh mi. As a little background, during the 1800's, the French colonized Vietnam. There was political conflict existed between the countries during that era, but the
Vietnamese benefitted from the influence of European architecture and French cuisine. For this reason, Bahn Mi, which is served on a baguette, has a unique tie to French cuisine. Of course, the Vietnamese took it one step further by
adding an array of fresh, crunchy vegetables such as cilantro, dikon, carrots, cucumber and jalapeños.
For anyone who is familiar with A-Chau, they'll most likely mention the eggrolls, which are said to be the best. Again, mom gets all the credit for developing a perfect mixture of meat and spices. These eggrolls are sold daily by the
thousands!
A third reason to routinely head over to A Chau is for their Vietnamese coffee made by Hoa's son Sy, who proudly dresses for work every day wearing a suit and hat. Their coffee is made from fine espresso beans and the best sweetened
condensed milk on the market. It is strong and tasty!
A-Chau - 2644 El Cajon Boulevard
Boulevard Recipes
Step inside the kitchen and learn how to cook specialty dishes from around the world, taught by great chefs on El Cajon Boulevard. In Episode #2, Joe Hyunh, Loving Hut's Chef quickly demonstrates how to cook his famous dish, Lucky
Lemongrass.
Yelp About the Boulevard
Pedal Pushing Bicycle Shop
4966 El Cajon Blvd
Yelper: Dan has great collection of used items that you should always ask for first before picking up new gear. I walked in expecting to spend $30 on new pedals, $30 for toe clips, and $30 for new leather straps. I walked out
paying $25 for a great set of used pedals and clips and new straps. Nathan helped me dig through the boxes and install everything. It was a very helpful and positive experience for me, and I recommend this place to anyone into bicycles.
Click
here for more yelp reviews.
Featured Art on the Boulevard
In 2009, the El Cajon Boulevard Business Improvement Association (BIA) started a pilot recycling program with 10 bins. Following that, the Association saw this as an opportunity to bring more art to the Boulevard and worked with
graphic design students at SDSU to develop the concept. The designs created by the students were to enhance the look of these standardized bins, and at the same time, help identify the recycling bins from the trash bins located next to
them.
The bins are reclaimed standard city trash bins with a custom fabricated top on the recycling bins. In the coming months, the Association is expanding the number of recycling bins to 20.
The students developed several great options. The El Cajon Boulevard BIA Board was so impressed by the designs that they decided to select three of the student's designs rather than the single design that was initially planned.
Congratulations to Kristin Hardy, Sonya Calderon, Cat Hunt for providing your creative design work which greatly enhances the Boulevard's garbage and recycling bins!
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