Jessie Nicely, co-founder of Compound Butter, launched a pop-up called Burmese, Please! in LA's Chinatown in 2018 to educate diners about Burmese food. Despite her background and the thriving Burmese scene in the Bay Area, she found a lack of awareness in LA. Nicely served traditional dishes at events like Smorgasburg and later offered pickup kits during the pandemic. Although she considered opening a restaurant, she deemed it too risky due to the challenges faced by local restaurants. Nicely believes Burmese cuisine is poised for recognition in Southern California.
"Once we started doing the pop-ups, I was surprised at how little people here knew about Burmese food. A huge part of the pop-up was educating diners on what the cuisine actually is."
"Burmese ingredients aren't all that different from those used in a lot of other Southeast Asian cuisines, but for whatever reason, they can be too much for people."
"It just felt too risky. The dream of building out a stand-alone business for my Burmese food was daunting, especially with the recent struggles of many Los Angeles-area restaurants."
"I believe that the right Burmese concept can work here. It's a cuisine that's just waiting for its moment in the Southern California spotlight."
Read at SFGATE
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