A Family Affair

Pakou Hang was in elementary school when her family started selling vegetables at the St. Paul Farmers’ Market. You can still find her at the Market, but she now has a degree from Yale University. Although Pakou and her six siblings are young adults, each pursuing his or her own career path, the enterprise is still very much a family affair. In 2001, the Hang family began to make fresh egg rolls and spring rolls at the St. Paul Farmers’ Market in a white concession trailer with big red windows.

The Hang family immigrated to the United States in 1976. Upon arriving in this country, Mr. and Mrs. Hang, like many other Hmong parents, soon discovered that their past skills as subsistence farmers did not fit well in a post-industrialized economy like that in the United States. The family worked very hard together, first picking cucumbers in Wisconsin, then renting farmland in St. Paul, and now selling at the Market.

Throughout their struggles, their parents were absolutely committed to educating their children and educating them well — first in Catholic schools, then private schools, and now various colleges. The profits from growing and selling vegetables went toward the tuitions of those schools. The second generation of Hang’s have studied at Brown, Yale, St. Olaf, and Brandeis — and while they have studied subjects as varied as political science, community health, and art and media, all the children are dedicated to higher education.

Humbling Work

“I think it is because the farming we did was such hard work and such a humbling experience for us,” says Pakou, “that we became so determined to get our educations.” Education has certainly changed the Hang family. The transition from growing and selling vegetables at the St. Paul Farmers’ Market to making and selling egg rolls and spring rolls is a reflection of that change.

The Hang’s named the egg roll enterprise after their parents — Wang Uab’s Asian Deli. The Deli is committed to sharing knowledge and supporting local farmers and traditionally underrepresented communities. Another example of how much education has changed the Hang’s is their new website: Hmong Farmers. The website will feature what is fresh at the Market, introduce new products being created, and share tasty Asian recipes.

Using Creativity to Survive

In addition to the egg roll enterprise, the Hang family continues to actively garden in Rosemount and bring to St. Paul fresh produce including:

* corn,
* tomatoes,
* bok choi,
* Chinese broccoli,
* melon,
* Asian squash and
* a popular Hmong bitter green.

Pakou hears others speak of her family’s story as “entrepreneurial,” but she disagrees. “I’m not sure if our story is so much about being entrepreneurs, as it is about simply surviving — using creativity to survive, using hard work to survive. The land supplied us with numerous academic and life lessons. It would have been a shame if we were not stronger people because of those lessons.”

A Father’s Recipe

Between vegetable sales and egg rolls or spring rolls made from their father’s recipe, the Hang family has quite a summer business. And the St. Paul Farmers’ Market is just the place to absorb and direct that business. “The Market is a good place,” says Pakou. She has seen subtle changes over the years, more ethnic and socio-economic diversity among the vendors and among the customers and is personally glad that the market is accessible to diverse communities. The evolution of the Market mirrors the evolution of the Hang family.

The Hang’s is a story of family survival turned business venture; a story about a generation who grew up in vegetable fields, and climbed over Ivy League walls. Find Pakou, her family, and their delicious egg rolls and spring rolls on Saturday and Sunday mornings at the St. Paul Farmers’ Market.