Meet Kevin Mok: Entrepreneur & Co-Founder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kevin Mok and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kevin, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
As soon as I graduated from Cal Poly Pomona in 2014, I started working for a hospitality company called The Montage in Beverly Hills. I worked for the company for about 4 years and I started to grow frustrated with myself because I couldn’t get a promotion. After many failed attempts of trying to get a promotion within the company, I then realized that working for someone isn’t what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. This was the turning point of my career that made me realize that if I don’t quit my job now and chase my dreams, then I will forever be working for someone for the rest of my life. I quit my job the next few days and because I didn’t have any future income coming in; it motivated & forced me to plan and execute my business plans.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
As a kid in the early 1990s, my parents would take me to the local supermarket & would buy me these obanyaki from a old lady at the entrance of the supermarkets. Now, the old lady outside the supermarkets is no longer there to sell these obanyaki. Therefore, Mr. Obanyaki was created to re-live our childhood memories again. Mr. Obanyaki is a representation of mine & my community’s childhood.

The desserts we serve is very unique, rare and is a childhood staple within my community. Our signature is the Obanyaki Ice Cream, which is a choice of your favorite Obanyaki & your choice of Fosselman’s Ice Cream. This signature dessert is presented on a tray that is shaped as a “boat” and the spoon that is shaped as a “shovel”. The boat symbolizes the way my parents immigrated to the United States to seek for a better future/life & the shovel symbolizes how hard they worked to get to where we are today.

There were many challenges when I started Mr. Obanyaki, because no one knew this new brand. It took about 2 years to grow a customer base, but the most difficult challenge is on the 3rd year when the Covid-19 pandemic happened. During the pandemic, I’ve experienced depression because of all the financial stress and uncertain future of the business. Everyday is like being in a war with myself to fight for survival. I’ve definitely learned a lot throughout this difficult process, such as pushing myself to the limit of working hard & to never give up.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If my best friend was visiting the area, I would take them to a place called “Rodeo 39 public market” in Orange County. The reason is because it is a new hip hang out spot with lots of great trendy food in the plaza. Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I wanted to personally give a shoutout to my mom & dad because they have been such a huge supporter of mine. They helped me to perfect my recipes & mentor me to guide me through difficult decisions. Since it was my first time opening a business, my mom & dad used their previous experiences to help me succeed.

Website: order.mrobanyakiusa.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrobanyaki.mpk/?hl=en

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/mr-obanyaki-monterey-park-4