In an age when corporate conglomerates run the food industry, it’s refreshing to see a local business that cares about family and its community’s success.
Sweet Ppang is a first-generation family-owned business located on First and Shields avenues that stemmed from comments made by owner Sophea Thach’s children.
“We went to Las Vegas and went to Koreatown and had taiyakis,” Thach said. “Immediately, they were like ‘We need to bring this to Fresno,’ because Fresno is always last to have anything.”
The lightbulb in Thach’s head lit like the sun after hearing this. She leased a building back home in Fresno in 2023. A-year-and-a-half later, she and her husband opened the shop with taiyaki as a featured menu item.
Taiyaki, according to the definition posted on the wall of the restaurant, is a fish-shaped cake made from pancake or waffle batter. Common fillings are custard, red bean and ube.
This dish originated in Japan and is shaped like a sea bream fish. It is a symbol of fortune and luck in Japanese culture.
The family then came together to build the rest of the menu with items like croffles, soft serve ice cream, boba teas and coffee.
Aside from sweet treats and saccharine drinks, Sweet Ppang has nurtured its own community events since opening in the summer of 2024.
Trunk-or-Treats, car shows and Toys for Tots are just a few examples that show off the family’s desire to grow the area’s engagement. 
Chansamorn Sok, Thach’s sister and employee of Sweet Ppang, grew up near the store and described her sister’s desire to eventually get their childhood community back together.
“When we were younger, we were able to walk places and feel more safe and more connected with our community,”Sok said. “We don’t have that anymore.”
Sweet Ppang has hosted multiple car meetups already. Some include the Central Valley Nissan GTR Day and a Stance Society Garage meetup. Both saw tons of highly customized cars and multiple pop-up vendors.
“As a small business, if we have a little, we will give that little,” Thach said. “We want to show kids that there are better, more positive opportunities.”
The store offers multiple attractions that people can enjoy while waiting for or eating their food. This includes a colorful claw machine, a retro arcade machine and a shelf filled with tabletop games.
Inside the store, the decor is vibrant and conscientious. The interior was done by Thach’s husband, David, as well as other family members.
This highlights the love and care that this family puts into their food and each other.
“We’re really family oriented, so everything that we prioritize is for each other,” said Devin Taing, Thach’s nephew and Sweet Ppang employee. “I wouldn’t trade it for anything else in the world.”
These familial values and support have inspired both Taing and Sok to pursue their own paths while still helping out at Sweet Ppang.
Sok owns a pop-up restaurant called Southeast Snackshack with her husband and brother. She took inspiration from her sister and brother-in-law and could always count on them for advice.
Taing credits the family business for helping him build himself back up in school.
“I didn’t take it too seriously because of COVID,” Taing said. “I got really lazy. I wasn’t turning in assignments on time.”
After he began working for the family business, he learned how to take on more responsibilities. Taing developed a consistent routine while working, which led to him learning healthy habits that aided his commitment to school.
Sweet Ppang epitomizes the loving and caring local business stereotype that has been hard to come by in Fresno.
They serve as an example of how a simple idea can blossom into a revival of a community.
A correction was made on April 20, 2025 to reflect the store’s proper cross streets.
