Meet Kyra Yong | Founder of Little Longan

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

Hi Kyra, how do you think about risk?

As a child of immigrants, I never allowed myself to take many risks. I excelled in school, graduated at the top of class in college, and secured a stable job with benefits and a retirement plan. I focused on following the safe path, believing that hard work would eventually lead to success. Regardless, my body began to protest; I developed severe anxiety-induced eczema and started experiencing ocular migraines from the stress of my job and the daily commute. One day, I was almost involved in a serious car accident on my way to work. It was then that I realized if something fatal were to happen, I would regret my life choices and my commitment to this “safe” lifestyle. 

When I was 26, I decided to take my first big risk. I saved up money, left my stable job, and bought a one-way ticket to Spain with a plan to backpack around the world. However, I arrived in Barcelona at the start of the pandemic on March 8, 2020. As the reality of the world began to unfold, I had to put my travel plans on hold. When lockdown regulations started to ease, I pivoted my plans and decided that if I couldn’t travel internationally, I would road trip across America instead. I found a used 2001 Toyota RAV4 online and researched all the gear I would need. I designed a bed platform and with the help of friends, we were able to build it to house a modular kitchen and storage space for the journey.

I spent the next two years on the road, using the time as a canvas to heal and determine what I truly wanted in life. This risk came at a time when media outlets highlighted issues, such as “Asian hate,” and referred to COVID-19 as the “Asian virus.” Despite this and through pure serendipity while traveling, I met the kindest strangers who became friends, proving to me that the world is kinder and less chaotic than the media often depicts. 

I began to love my life and realized that by taking risks and following my intuition, I could create a life I wanted. I learned to let go of worry and focus on what I could control. I also recognized that relationships were more important to me than conforming to societal career expectations. Although I could keep traveling, I wouldn’t be able to fully appreciate it unless I had a healthy relationship with myself and my family. So after almost two years on the road, I returned home to work on my relationships. 

Starting my Malaysian street food business, Little Longan, has been the latest risk I’ve taken for myself. Malaysian cuisine is not as well known in America, but I wanted to share my take on Malaysian-inspired street dishes and the childhood flavors I grew up enjoying. On a personal level, this has also allowed me to reconnect with my Malaysian-Indonesian Chinese roots and stay connected with my family. 

Running a food business comes with numerous challenges and is often considered one of the riskiest ventures. Regardless, there comes a point when the regret of not starting becomes greater than the fear of failure. If there’s anything you’ve ever wanted to pursue, just start, believe in the good that can come from it, learn from your mistakes, and if it feels right, keep trying. You may find yourself pleasantly surprised by the life you’ll build for yourself once you take that risk.

Please tell us more about your business. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today business-wise. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?

My family loves and values all kinds of food. When I was younger, I dreamed of owning my own food business and even ran some side hustles selling pastries to my classmates. This eventually led me to pursue a degree in hospitality management at The Collins College in Cal Poly Pomona.

Although I studied hospitality, I never considered myself a chef. It wasn’t until after college that I began to explore cooking more seriously. I started a marketing and communications internship in Beverly Hills after graduation, and in my free time, I volunteered at food festivals. At one of these festivals, I met Chef Kris Morningstar, who owned Terrine, a French brasserie in Los Angeles. I reached out to him to see if I could help at his restaurant, primarily to avoid traffic after my internship. I didn’t realize I was participating in a “stage”, which is a culinary internship, and I eventually was hired to work as a garde manger in the kitchen.

While at Terrine, I discovered my passion for cooking and developed the skills and organization needed to thrive in a high-pressure fine dining kitchen. I began hosting dinner parties for my friends and experimented with different cuisines at home. However, balancing my office internship and kitchen life began to take a toll. When I received a promotion in Beverly Hills, I decided to put away my knives and focus on a career in destination marketing instead.

During this period, I had the opportunity to visit Malaysia with my family in 2018. It was my father’s first time back in four decades, and my first trip to his homeland. I got to see where my grandparents met and grew up. The family I encountered in Malaysia spoke the same language as my parents, and many of the dishes my grandparents cooked for us as kids were sold at street food stalls and restaurants everywhere we visited. I was amazed that a country thousands of miles away from everything I knew felt so familiar.

Growing up in America, I felt that our family was small. I didn’t fully appreciate our culture, nor did I have much of a relationship with them. After visiting Malaysia, I learned more about our family history and discovered it was much larger (and more loving) than I realized. This sparked a desire to connect more deeply with my relatives and learn to cook the cuisine we ate together before the knowledge in our family was lost.

Eventually, after returning from my road trip, I worked for several food pop-ups to learn the trade. I discovered the grit and hard work it takes to start a business, which reignited my dreams of owning my own food venture. Through the pop-up, I met a coworker who organizes a weekly vegan food market. When he offered me a space to debut my concept at his market, I took the chance. With a set event date approaching, I felt the push I needed to start.

I dedicated the name of my business, Little Longan, after a nickname my great-grandmother had for me. In Cantonese, longan translates to “dragon eyes,” as my baby eyes resembled the large black seed of the tropical Southeast Asian fruit. For my debut, I needed to develop plant-based versions of Malaysian dishes, which is very non-traditional. Additionally, many of my friends and family who tested the recipes had dietary restrictions or allergies I had to be mindful of when I shared new recipes with them. I wanted to create a menu where everyone had a chance to try Malaysian flavors. This is what led me to create both vegan and omnivore-friendly options of Malaysian-inspired dishes that continue to be available for our pop-ups today.

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.

Here’s a list of some favorites that are not to be missed when visiting!
• OUTDOORS: Hike around Griffith Observatory to the Hollywood Sign (at sunset!), picnic at Huntington Library, South Coast Botanical Garden, or the Arboretum in Arcadia, bike along the coast at any beach along the Pacific Coast Highway
• ART: visit MOCA, LACMA, art galleries and sculptures in Beverly Hills, Giant Robot, Brewery Art Walk (if it’s taking place), The Getty, The Broad, Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena
• DINE: stop by a local farmer’s market (Santa Monica, Hollywood, Larchmont, Beverly Hills), get ice cream at 626 Ice Cream in San Gabriel Valley or Liu’s Creamery in Koreatown. If you’re craving more Malaysian or Indonesian food, visit Ipoh Kopitiam, Rasarumah, Simpang Asia, Belacan Grill, Seasons Kitchen, Uncle Fung’s Borneo Eatery!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there a person, group, organization, book, etc that you want to dedicate your shoutout to? Who else deserves a little credit and recognition in your story?

It took a village to get Little Longan off the ground. A shout out to:
• Brotha’s Cookies, Aro Chili, and The Pastry Club for sharing their business experience with me about running pop-ups and helping me get started
• SoCalVegVibes for being the first market I got to debut at
• The City of Anaheim for offering a free 6-week cohort EATS Program to teach resources on starting a mobile food business

Additionally, I wanted to give a special thanks to:
• My partner, Craig, who helps prep, makes second (and third) runs for groceries and works the markets with me
• My friend Natalia, who helped develop Little Longan’s website
• My family and friends who encourage me, help at pop-ups, and are open to being my guinea pigs as I test new recipes

Finally, to all those who continually come out to our events and help share word of our food! Your ongoing support is what encourages me to keep showing up and make this little business a reality.

Website: https://www.littlelongan.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/little.longan/

Other: Inquiry: littlelonganllc@gmail.com

Image Credits
Last photo by @pastry_pang