Three Ribbon-Cutting Celebrations In University City Celebrate Philadelphia's Asian Cultures
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A celebration of three Asian cultures and their rich contributions to Philadelphia's fabric. On Friday, there was a ribbon-cutting celebrating three Asian-owned and operated restaurants in University City.
"A mixture of all types of establishments and all sorts of walks of life and they get an opportunity to travel too," Lawrence Mach, chef and owner of Coney Shack, said. "That's what's beautiful about this area."
It's Coney Shack's grand opening. The owner grew up in Brooklyn, bringing a bit of Coney Island flare to Philly.
"We love to make beautiful food first of all, and we like people to be happy when they eat it," Mach said.
This all started as southeast Asian street food in a food truck. His famous trio tacos is a top contender alongside the Mach dog with three kinds of cheese torched and topped with onion strings.
"I could just bring anybody in Coney Shack and make it happen," Mach said.
Right next door, Nam Vietnamese Kitchen celebrates traditional Vietnamese cuisine with a twist.
"We planned to open this a long time ago," owner and chef Tuan Phung said.
Nam Vietnamese opened in March with an outdoor garden feel, like their hometown. With the heightened level of xenophobia toward the Asian community in the United States, the group of restaurants is celebrating each other.
"We want to support each other. We're not here for ourselves, because you can't do anything alone," Nam Vietnamese Kitchen General Manager Chuong Nguyen said.
As they celebrate Asian cuisine on 38th and Chestnut, Korean Parisian bakery cafe Paris Baguette's welcomes customers for a sweet treat.
"Now you kind of have one of the best Korean bakery here, a Vietnamese, a really great south Asian taco concept," Phung said.
