Vietnamese Bakery Thrives 30 Years in Sydney's Little India

When Indian businesses transformed Sydney's Harris Park into Little India, Kevin Bui didn't panic. He adapted.

For over 30 years, Bui has run Jason King's Bakery on Wigram Street, watching the neighborhood shift from Filipino to Greek to Lebanese to predominantly South Asian. While countless other businesses came and went, his Vietnamese bakery became an unlikely staple of Little India.

The secret to survival was surprisingly simple. What Bui sold as "soft buns" were exactly what South Asian restaurants and street food vendors needed for pav bhaji, vada pav, and dabeli. His fluffy bread rolls became the foundation of countless Indian street food dishes.

"At first, I was worried if the business would collapse," Bui admits. Then customers started asking for his buns, and they loved them.

Today, restaurants from Blacktown to Bella Vista, Pendle Hill to St Marys buy thousands of buns from Bui's bakery. On weekends, he starts baking at 8pm and works through the night to meet demand while his wife Julie handles orders and payments.

Sunny's Take

Bui named his bakery after his three-year-old son Jason, who used to run around the shop when they first opened. "In our culture we work for our children," he explains with pride.

Now, decades later, customers regularly offer to buy the business. Bui isn't interested in selling.

"If I sell the business, I'll stay at home, and it's boring," he says with a smile. "At least here, I'm the boss, I'm happy to work."

He's not alone in adapting to thrive. Across the street, SweetLand Patisserie has survived 30 years by creating egg-free cakes for vegetarian customers. Manager Anthony Elkadi plans to take over from his father, giving the community "not only sweets but that sense of having another home to be in."

Sanjay Deshwal, president of the Little India Harris Park Business Precinct, says these small businesses bring diverse foot traffic from across Sydney. For many South Asian migrants, Little India serves as "the first landing spot" in Australia.

Rather than resenting the changes, Bui celebrates them. The influx of Indian businesses "brought the area up," he says.

"Most of the Indian people in the area, they know me," Bui reflects. "I'm happy with the business, my stress is gone."