June 2010 COVER STORY - Weng's Oriental Fish Market, We clean, we grill, we fry

When was Wengs Oriental Fish Market opened?
WOFM officially opened on December 28, 2007.

How did you come up with the idea?
We have always wanted to open up a business, but didn't really have any solid idea as to what type. A care home was our first choice, but after a couple of offers that we have encountered problem, we decided that it was probably not meant to be. So our next choice was a Filipino Market.

What made you choose this particular business?
We moved to Sacramento from the bay area in 2005, since then we have observed that the only major area for our fellow Pinoys to get groceries and fish is the South Sac area. It approximately takes 20 minutes to get there. Plus gas at that time was a crazy $4/gallon it is still crazy up to now ). So we thought that having a convenient Filipino store that sells and fry’s fish with cooked food as well would work specifically in the Natomas area being that it is more centralized. Also, it would additionally keep my parents busy since they have retired and complained of doing nothing at home. Having the store keeps them active.

What are things that you love about having this business?
We all enjoy meeting different new people. As people come into the store, we do treat them like we personally know them. We enjoy the conversations we have with them. My mom (our chef) enjoys cooking daily. She gets excited when she knows that there will be some type of catering scheduled for the weekend.

What kind of products you sell aside from seafood?
We do party trays, cooked food to go, grill & fry fish, grill squid, a few desserts. We also have some Filipino groceries and frozen food items.

I know that you also sell food, what is your best selling entree currently?
Pancit is always a popular item. I think my mom’s (our chef) pancit bihon and bam-i (visaya version) is a hit! There is also the toron that is always in demand. Pichi-pichi is also a popular one.

When did you guys (Ron and Weng) move here from the Philippines or were you born here?
Ron migrated here with his parents in 1991. I migrated with my parents in 1992.

How did the two of you met?
We met in SF working at McDonald’s which was both our first job after coming to America. We got married at a very young age, but we both struggled to survive all the marital trials that came our way. We are still standing strong going on to our 17th year of marriage.

Any kids?
Three kids. Clarissa who is 16, Renald who is 15 and of course Clarence, who everybody knows, is 4.

What do you like about being in America most?
I guess I can say that in America is where dreams come true. There is no prohibition as to what you want to be in life. You can be a high school drop-out and still get a job. America allows you to become a better person if you work hard at it. Everything is possible and the possibilities are endless.

What advice do you have for those Filipino-Americans like you and me if they want to start a business?
Think really really hard and make sure that your decision to have a business is what you want. Having a business is not a joke, let alone trying to keep it going in this economy,

What advice do you have for those Filipino-Americans like you and me to stay in business in this current economy?
A lot of prayer and faith is all I can tell you. It is a struggle to be in business in this type of economy. Thank God for family!