Page 16 - Sonoma County Gazette April 2018

By Ellery D. Margay
You may have noticed the new sign in the Safeway shopping center—a
Out of that beautiful country has come two of our own community’s best and brightest: Percy Brandon and Olenka Orjeda Airaldi. Percy is General Manager of Vintners Inn and John Ash & Co.; Olenka is a well-known chef and founder of Olenka Cooks, which promotes the cuisine of her native country.
glowing bowl and chop sticks above the space recently vacated by Pho 90. This is Simmer, Rohnert Park’s bustling new Vietnamese eatery, and while I’m told that the minimalist signage is temporary, in a sense it almost seems apt.
Percy Brandon, like many immigrants, the road to success has been a long and challenging one. He left his native Peru at age 19 and went rst to Canada. “I didn’t know anyone there, hardly spoke the language, but
I was lled with huge dreams and a passion to succeed.” Percy’s rst job was working as a busboy; his rst home was the YMCA in Vancouver. He was “undocumented” there for a time, working in restaurants, hoping to avoid deportation. Meanwhile, he began to work his way up the ladder: from kitchen help to sous chef and nally chef, eventually sponsored by his employer for legal residence in Canada.
From Peru with Love: Percy and Olenka
Peru has made many amazing contributions to world culture – among them, the Inca civilization and Machu Picchu, the mysterious Nazca lines, and Peruvian cuisine, considered one of the world’s nest.
Who needs words with food this good?
Like its predecessor, Simmer’s star item is pho, the fragrant rice noodle
soup that has, in recent years, seen a remarkable upsurge in popularity. The broth—beef, chicken, and vegetable—is made in house daily in a lengthy two- man process, its distinctive taste owed to its spices: coriander, anise, cloves, cinnamon, fennel seeds, shallots, and grilled ginger root, as well as rock sugar and plenty of salt. With an array of proteins and fresh toppings to choose from, each bowl is customizable—an ideal pick for the individualist foodie.
The shaking beef, tender filet mignon pan-seared with onion and bell pepper, is a must try. So is the lean grilled pork, cooked to order in their very own BBQ glaze, and the rich and complex yellow curry. Plant-based diners will delight in the artful salads, towering spring rolls, and the true showstopper, the lemongrass tofu—a lighter take on a classic. Bite sized cubes are rolled in cornstarch and zesty lemongrass and flash fried for just 30 seconds, resulting in a textural novelty—a crisp, golden morsel, airy as a pillow. Stellar dips and sauces complement each item—umami soy, smooth peanut, tangy sweet and sour—all freshly mixed from original recipes.
Their menu is diverse, its offerings vibrant and dynamic, boasting several house signatures—updated interpretations of time-honored favorites.
Restaurateur Sonny Le, fondly credits the foundations of most dishes to his mom, a native of the coastal city of Da Nang, but over the years, the menu has evolved. “Different ingredients are available here,” he says, “sometimes better ones. Our food is cleaner while still retaining its flavor.” In discussing his craft, Sonny holds nothing back. He’s a believer in sharing the wisdom of experience with his fellow Vietnamese Americans. Be it through skill, luck, or a bit of both, the food biz has treated him well, and he’s happy to pay it forward.
Later, Percy worked in social
services, rst with teens in group
homes and later as a counselor to
Spanish-speaking immigrants. He
served primarily refugees from El
Salvador, helping them adjust to their new lives in Canada. On nights and weekends, he served on the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Auxiliary.
Sonny’s story is an inspirational one. Having studied math and economics, he was headed down a different path when older brother, Nha Le, proposed that they open a restaurant—Simmer Vietnamese Kitchen on Petaluma’s busy N. McDowell Blvd. Now five years later, business is flourishing, and Sonny has struck out on his own, inviting family and longtime friends aboard.
Percy moved to California in 1991 and returned to the hospitality industry, starting at the bottom rung all over again. At one point, he had 4 jobs, working breakfast, lunch and dinner during 18-hour days. His day would start at 5:30 am at his job at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco and he’d return at 11 pm to his home in Martinez. To earn the money for closing costs on his rst house, Percy worked those shifts 28 days straight.
Good things are to come—among them a wine and beer bar. “It’s my second restaurant,” says Sonny, “but in a way it feels like my first.” And I think I know what he means; that pioneering spirit is alive and well, and it is infectious.
He got his rst management job at the Palace Hotel, then moved to Bodega Bay Lodge, which brought him to the North Bay. Percy later served as GM
of the Napa Valley Grille for 5 years before taking over at Vintners Inn/John Ash & Co. in 2000. Since then, Percy has spearheaded multiple expansions and remodels there, the opening of the Event Center and soon the Spa and
Simmer, 6368 Commerce Blvd,, Rohnert Park • 707- 843-7416 Hours: M-F 11:30-2:30, M-Th 4:30-9, F-Sat 4:30-10, Sun: 12-8
IMMIGRANT STORIES cont’d to page 17
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