Being the son of a very successful restaurant owner is cool, but being the son of a very successful restaurant owner whose restaurant is right next to your school is another! Kyle Cao, a freshman at Mt. Sac Early College Academy (MECA), is one of these few people.
Kyle grew up with very kind neighbors in Covina, when he and his parents had to move to open their restaurant, Thumbling, he had a hard time accepting all of them. But as he moved on to middle school, everything settled down.
“I grew up in a nice neighborhood in Covina, but because my parents were opening up a restaurant and I had to go to middle school, it was kind of weird going to somewhere new but I eventually learned to deal with it.”
As Kyle found his place in Hollencreast, people found out about his restaurant. He wasn’t very pleased, but it eventually became something he became proud of.
“As I started making new friends, people learned of my restaurant, and I didn’t really like that. But over time I realized it is not something to be ashamed of but something to be proud of.”
One of Kyle’s friends, Ethan Bymaster, had a hard time believing him about the restaurant.
“When he told me [his family] owned it, I thought he was joking but nope! He kept telling me that [his family] had owned it for a year straight, and I eventually gave in. I was surprised to see that [his family] owned it but I thought it was very cool.”
While his parents want him to take over the restaurant, Kyle hopes to leave MECA with his AA and wants to pursue becoming a doctor, specifically a pharmacist or pediatrician.
“I find the medical field very interesting as helping others makes me happy, especially the future generation because they are important. Being able to nurture the future is important and is a task that must be taken with great care.”
Now that he is at MECA, Kyle thinks his mood is much better here as it is quieter and calmer than in his middle school. He believes good things like more work experience opportunities and good memories will come with time.
“I really believe that because this school is small and filled with good and wonderful people, the future looks really bright. I honestly can see lots of people going far in life for everyone and I hope to make great memories with all my friends here.”
Ultimately, Kyle’s unique experiences with his family have shaped him into what he is right now. Owning a business is an enormous responsibility that Kyle will be facing in the future. Still, it helps him learn more about taking responsibility and being more intelligent can pay off a lot in the future.
Thumbling, located at the crossing of Citrus Ave. and Walnut Creek Pkwy., in the shopping center with 85 Degrees, serves Shaghai-style dumplings, noodles, soups and drinks. It currently has a 4.0 rating on Yelp with many positive reviews. Students and staff frequent the shop often. Students can stop by to enjoy the dumplings and maybe even catch a glimpse of Kyle helping out.
