Meet Amber Tan | Co-Founder of 626 Hospitality Group

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

Hi Amber, what makes you happy? Why?
I have always loved food so I’m incredibly blessed to be able to work with food, and more importantly, do so alongside kind and inspiring people. Unfortunately, the food industry can be physically-demanding and emotionally-draining. It is one of few industries where verbal abuse is almost expected, working overtime is constant, and the stresses that come along with food can turn even the nicest people cold, bitter, and jaded.

However, after almost eight years in the food industry, I can wholeheartedly say that I could not be happier. When Waldo and I lost our jobs during the pandemic; we had the rare chance to press reset; to have creative liberty to explore; to reprioritize and internalize what is important to us and our future team; and to take back our health both physically and mentally. But, the greatest gift has been the people we reconnected with and the friendships we have acquired along the way. We are constantly humbled to know that many of the friendships we have now were created through food.

What should our readers know about your business?
What makes us special is that our food is inspired by the neighborhood we grew up in. San Gabriel Valley, the 626 area code, is home to one of the largest Asian diasporas in America. And at the center of many households was the dinner table, where generations old and new could reconnect with their roots. Hojicha Ice Cream celebrates our love for boba milk tea; Coconut Pandan Ice Cream is a nod to Hien Khanh who introduced us to Vietnamese Che; Burnt Honey & Barley Ice Cream is inspired by the barley tea commonly served at AYCE KBBQ; Mango Morita Sorbet pays homage to our neighborhood elote man who first served us mango chamoy. Growing up in this community nurtured our love for food, and our flavors represent the cultures of our hometown.

After the world was turned upside down by a global pandemic, Waldo and I had to close our family shop. We were battling feelings of uncertainty and heartache from working in food and hospitality, and we were uncertain if this was something we still wanted to pursue. We decided to give food one final try, but this time we would look at things from a more critical lens. We experimented with cocktails, noodles, rice bowls, barbecue, waffles, and everything in between, until finally we found ice cream.

At the end of 2020, Waldo and I set out to make the world a little sweeter, and on this journey, an unexpected group of friends set out to build a dream together. Drawing from a combination of past experience, culinary curiosity, and heritage, our team began to distill our ethos: community-inspired, chef-driven. Part ice cream supplier, part special events coordinators. The mission remains to honor the flavors of our neighborhood in every bite.

We hope that our story inspires others to keep fighting for their dreams despite the inevitable challenges that will arise. Our journey is far from perfect and has much more failure in it than successes. However, every mistake, every mishap, every obstacle that we come across gets us that much closer to where we want to be.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
1 week, 30,000 calories. This is how you figure out who your real ride or dies are.

SUN: DTLA
[9:30am] Detriot Vesey’s: community centered bike-friendly cafe
[10am] Smorgasburg LA: largest open-air food market
[4pm] Yoboseyo! Superette: curated goods & small batch essentials
[5pm] Maccheroni Republic: handmade pastas
[7pm] Grand Central Market: food hall & retail marketplace

MON: stock up on snacks & craft beer for the week
[9am] Sityodtong LA: Boxing Fitness
[11am] Arroyo Shell: unassuming gas station with the rarest and most exclusive beer selection in the county
[12pm] Super Burger: mom & pop burger shop of your dreams, thick hand-formed patties, scratch-made sauces
[1pm] Chaaste Family Market: turon, halo-halo, Filipino snacks
[8pm] Estranothings: street pasta pop-up

TUES: taco crawl
[7am] Sityodtong LA: Muay Thai Fitness
[11am] Marisco Jalisco: fried shrimp tacos, ceviche
[11:30am] Tacos Y Birria La Unica: goat & beef birria
[5pm] La Golondrina Catering: tacos, enchiladas, churros
[6pm] El Taquero Poblano Inc: fresh-pressed tortillas, charcoal-grilled meats

WED: tour of San Gabriel Valley (part 1)
[9am] Sityodtong LA: Boxing Fitness
[11am] Fresh Roast: house-roasted coffee, smoothies, Hong Kong-style waffles
[12am] Yama Seafood LA: sushi deli, small Japanese grocery store
[1pm] Jim’s Bakery: milk tarts, egg tarts
[2pm] Chong Qing Special Noodles: Szechuan noodles
[4pm] Salju Dessert: shaved ice
[8pm] Xinjiang BBQ: late night skewers

THURS: tour of San Gabriel Valley (part 2)
[7am] Sityodtong LA: Muay Thai Fitness
[10am] Harlam’s Kitchen: wonton soup, rice porridge, fried rice & noodles
[11am] Hien Khanh: Vietnamese desserts & drinks
[12pm] NaVis Bakery: Mexican bread, pastries, cakes, desserts
[1pm] JTYH Restaurant: hand-made noodles, dumplings
[5pm] Woon Kitchen: technically not in the SGV, but incredible home style Chinese cooking
[8:30pm] Hanshin Pocha: late night Korean soju pub

FRI: Japanese & Filipino food
[9am] Sityodtong LA: Boxing Fitness
[12pm] Ichimiann: kakiage cold soba noodles
[1pm] Tendon Tempura Carlos Jr: tempura plate
[2pm] Tokyo Central Gardena: Tenkatori USA (karaage), Gindaco (takoyaki), Kagura (tonkatsu), Croissants Du Tokyo (hybrid of French & Japanese pastries)
[4pm] Valerio’s Tropical BakeShop: pandesal, Filipino snacks
[5pm] Nova’s Grill: well done Filipino food (order to-go and bring to Nova Brewing Co)
[5:30pm] Nova Brewing Co: fresh sake, handcrafted beer, ice cream (outside food allowed)
[8pm] Torigoya LA: traditional yakitori

SAT: Chinatown
[9-11am] Sityodtong LA: Tactical Self-Defense & Muay Thai Fitness
[1pm] Steep LA: brewed-to-order teas, small plates, ice cream
[3:30pm] Sesame LA: rotating selection of provisions & artisanal pantry staples
[4pm] Chunky Paper: hand-made red envelopes, art, stationery, stickers, merch
[4:30pm] Paper Plant Co: stationeries, house-plants, rotating pop-up collaborations
[5pm] Pearl River Deli: modernized Cantonese classics
[8pm] General Lee’s: creative cocktails with an Asian twist, DJs & live music

Food for me has always been about bringing people together, sharing time, and enjoying company. I can think of no better way to spend a week in LA.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Honestly, it’s impossible to pick just one person or entity because there are many people who are established in their own right but still gave time of day to someone small like us:

Zach from Smorgasburg LA
Keegan from Woon
Sam & Lydia from Steep LA
James & Emiko from Nova Brewing Co
Erin from Detriot Vesey’s
Cindy & James from Yoboseyo! Superette
Shibli from Arroyo Shell
Ryan from Hanshin Pocha
Kru Walter & June from Sityodtong LA

These are all entrepreneurs who have built successes through their own passion and hard work, but beyond that, they used their hard-earned success as a platform to support people as small as us. And I think that says a lot about their character and their priorities. Doing business doesn’t always have to come down to economics. There’s an understated importance to the social aspect behind it, and finding ways to support the dreams of others.

Instagram: @626hospitalitygroup

Youtube: https://youtu.be/WgIE_zgPVWY

Other: Email: tastyfood626@gmail.com We used to be known as “Tasty Food 626,” but rebranded to “626 Hospitality Group” because our team is growing and we wanted a name that encapsulates our vision going forward and honors the community that continues to inspire us.