American Dream Award Finalists

Yuriy and Olga Abramovich Aurora De Leon Robert de Varona

Oscar Hernandez Mark Kagan Willie Mills

Fernando Salazar Ronald Smith Klaus Tenbergen

Amporn Vasquez James Young

 

Yuriy and Olga Abramovich
Olga's Fine Dining
Jackson, Miss.

Yuriy and Olga Abramovich came to the United States in 1991 seeking medical care for their 2½-year-old son Michael. They moved to Jackson, Miss., where they found jobs in the restaurant industry. Yuriy worked at a fine-dining restaurant while Olga worked at a country club. They learned English by watching television, studying the dictionary and listening to conversations.

As their English improved, so did their restaurant operation skills. The couple opened Olga's Fine Dining in 2003. Olga takes care of guests, and Yuriy oversees the kitchen. They have become leaders in the community and are quick to respond to the needs of the Boys & Girls Club, YMCA, the Mississippi Firefighter's Memorial Burn Center and other organizations. They provide food, auction items and time, and they host charity events in their restaurant.

The Abramoviches treat customers and employees like family. Many young people work their way through school at Olga's, including Michael. Yuriy and Olga offer flexible work schedules so their employees can attend school.

Yuriy and Olga became American citizens last summer. They are thankful they can get up every morning and serve their restaurant's many guests and employees.

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Aurora De Leon
Pit Row Barbecue
Yucaipa, Calif.

Aurora De Leon started her own business to provide for her family. Her husband is a Vietnam veteran who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and completely disabled. Three of her five children suffer from the effects of Agent Orange. Two are severely developmentally disabled, and one has cerebral palsy and needs assisted-living care.

Undaunted by a lack of resources, De Leon forged ahead, and. Pit Row has become widely known. De Leon's hard work, perseverance and unwavering commitment to her religious and social values made her a role model to her family and employees.

Taking care of her family hasn't deterred De Leon from aiding others. She recently was recognized by the commander of Company B of the 1st Battalion, 185th Armor Regiment for sponsoring a farewell barbecue dinner for soldiers and their families before they deployed to Afghanistan.

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Robert de Varona
Varona Enterprises of Florida Inc.
Pensacola, Fla.

Robert de Varona fought for freedom and democracy before he came to the United States. Born in Havana, Cuba, de Varona was raised in a politically active family. When Fidel Castro took over the country, Robert joined CIA-trained Cuban forces to try to overthrow the dictator. He was 18. He, his brother and cousin were captured and imprisoned for nearly two years. When they were released in 1962, they came to the United States with $100 and clothes from the Red Cross.

De Varona, who spoke little English, struggled to find jobs. He pumped gas and worked in a convenience store. He attended college part-time and found work as a draftsman. He started a retail business in 1972, the first minority-owned airport concession in Denver's Stapleton Airport.

Known as Mr. D. among his employees, De Varona encourages them to pursue their educations by offering flexible work hours. He supports the Ronald McDonald House, Manna Food Bank and other organizations. He provides sponsorships, catering and meeting space for fundraisers.

To de Varona, the American Dream means having the opportunity to develop his talent for business and help others.

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Oscar Hernandez
La Oficina/Chile Pepper Inc.
Eugene, Ore.

Raised by a single mother, Oscar Hernandez was the caretaker for his five younger siblings. In 1976, he left El Salvador for Los Angeles. For seven years, he worked odd jobs and sent money to his mother and siblings. Eventually he earned enough to bring his family to the United States. In 1982, Hernandez moved to Eugene for a GED program at the University of Oregon. He later was accepted to the university, despite his limited English.

Despite discrimination, he opened a grocery store that catered to Eugene's growing Hispanic population. Unable to get a bank loan, he used his credit card to finance La Tiendita (the Little Store). By 1992, he moved the store to a bigger location and added a restaurant, Taco Loco. He expanded two years later, adding a full-service restaurant. In 1998, he bought an even bigger building and moved the restaurant. In 2003, he opened a second restaurant, La Oficina.

Hernandez brought two of his sisters into the restaurant business; one of them bought Taco Loco from him in 2006. Over the years, he has helped employees and friends, advising them on starting a business. He helps newly arrived Hispanics find jobs and medical and legal services. His care and support made him a leader and a role model. His success shows it's possible to overcame challenges and live the American Dream.

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Marc Kagan
Boston Dogs
Avondale, Ariz.

Mark Kagan, whose mother died when he was 6, learned to cook franks and chicken wings while at summer camp in Chelsea, Mass. Although the camp director encouraged him to one day open a hot dog stand, Kagan dreamed of flying. He joined the Air Force and spent 24 years as a medic -- five years on active duty and 19 on reserve. Later, he became a registered nurse.

After 20 years as a paramedic, Kagan decided to open that hot dog concept. He was unable to get a loan in Phoenix, so he moved to Mexico, where his wife, Veronica Ruiz, was undersecretary of tourism in Baja California Sur. He cashed in his 401K to start the restaurant.

Kagan launched Boston Dogs in 2007 at the La Paz, Mexico, airport. The business has taken off: plans are underway for three more units in San Diego, Las Vegas and Arlington, Texas. Once, when walking through a New York airport, travelers recognized him and shouted, "Hey it's the hot dog guy from Cabo."

The restaurant's success has allowed Marc to help others in need. He supports the Yes Foundation, which feeds 4,800 children every day in Baja California Sur. He also sponsors two youth baseball teams and provides lunch and food for children's parties at an orphanage.

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Willie Mills
Hope Haven, Inc.
Charlotte, N.C.

After a life of poverty, drug addiction and prison, Willie Mills spends his days encouraging the residents of Hope Haven., a recovery program that serves 300 homeless men and women.

As kitchen manager, he mentors more than 130 people a year, teaching them culinary skills, work ethic, and life and recovery skills. Mills empathizes with their plight because he came to Hope Haven 10 years ago for help. Raised by a single mother and poorly educated, Mills became addicted to drugs. That led to a criminal lifestyle and prison time. He also lost the trust of his friends and family. Hope Haven helped him turn his life around and later hired him to run the kitchen.

Working at Hope Haven for the past nine years enabled him to raise his family of four, maintain his sobriety and contribute to society. Mills shares his story to encourage donors to support Hope Haven s and help its clients achieve their dreams. For Mills, the American Dream is about freedom and equality. It allowed him to succeed.

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Fernando Salazar
Wyndham Hotels and Resorts
Parsippany, N.J.

Salazar was 14 when came to the United States from Ecuador with his family. His father worked in a factory and his mother was a maid, but they needed Fernando to work to make ends meet. Salazar went to school during the day and worked in a restaurant at night. He spoke no English when he arrived but learned quickly.

Salazar found a mentor at the restaurant, who pushed him to succeed. He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Queens College in New York. Today he is the mentor. He counsels employees by MENTORing- Motivating, Empowering, Nurturing, Teaching, Observing and Rewarding them.

His leadership extends beyond his professional career. After winning a $5,000 professional award, he donated the money to the San Antonio campus of Culinary Institute of America for minority student scholarships. He is a member of the International Food and Beverage Forum, which raises money for scholarships to the Cordon Blue Culinary School of Las Vegas.

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Ronald Smith
Lipscomb-Smith Enterprises Inc. dba McDonald’s
Las Vegas, Nev.

Ronald Smith grew up a New York housing project. His parents divorced when he was 12. His father, a Harlem native, stressed the importance of working hard, and his mother, an immigrant from Trinidad & Tobago, insisted education was the key to success.

Despite the financial strain on the family, Smith attended private schools where he was often the only black student in a class. He was the target of racial jokes at school, and neighborhood children mocked his “white” diction.

Although challenging, his upbringing prepared him for success in the corporate world and then the restaurant industry. As president of Lipscomb-Smith Enterprises Inc., Smith owns 12 McDonald’s restaurants in the Las Vegas area. The business employs more than 500 and makes than $26 million a year in sales.

Smith spearheads scholarship fundraisers with McDonald’s operators and the local newspaper. They distribute more than $250,000 a year in scholarships to outstanding high school seniors.

Smith shares his story with employees and young customers to inspire them to pursue their own dreams despite obstacles. The American Dream is to wake up one day and realize your dreams have come true, he says.

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Klaus Tenbergen
California State University
Fresno, Calif.

After becoming a master baker in Germany, Klaus Tenbergen, worked a year in southern Africa and then opened a bakery and coffee shop in Pretoria, South Africa. He sold his business a few years later to move to Peoria, Ill., where he was supposed to become a partner in retail bakery. He packed up his family and headed to the United States with a vision of becoming well educated and wealthy.

In a misunderstanding with customs officials, Tenbergen had to forfeit more than $10,000 in cash as he tried to enter the United States. He arrived at his new employer with only $38 to feed his family of three. More misfortune followed. His employer reneged on promises to make Tenbergen a full partner. He quit after receiving only $123 for four months of work.

Without a job or work permit, Tenbergen spent months collecting empty soda cans and bottles to survive. He found he could stay in the United States if he started his own business. He managed to open a fine-dining restaurant in an old tugboat permanently docked at Peoria’s downtown waterfront.

Then tragedy struck: his second child died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome at 4 months. Overwhelmed by deep depression, Tenbergen stopped working. But his American Dream never died.

He eventually took a job as a chef instructor at Kendall College in Chicago. He went back to school and is pursuing a doctorate in educational leadership. He moved to California to become an assistant professor at California State University, Fresno. He directs the culinology program, which feeds 21,000 students a day.

Today, Tenbergen is committed to helping others live the American Dream. He mentors students and foodservice employees and encourages them to be accountable, think critically and pursue their own educations.

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Amporn Vasquez
Pizza by Elizabeths
Wilmington, Del.

Amporn Vasquez was born to a wealthy, powerful but abusive family in Thailand. She was forced to marry a boy she didn’t know at 14. When she objected, she was severely beaten. She ran away from home, but was caught twice. The third time she hid in a zoo. She climbed a tree when it got dark and felt safe, knowing the zoo’s gates were locked at night. Eventually she met an American who helped bring her to the United States.

Vasquez worked wherever she could. She cleaned, sewed curtains, tended bar. She loved cooking, so 16 years ago, she enrolled at Delaware Technical and Community College. worked as a kitchen manager at Pizza by Elizabeths while at school.

Now 64, Amporn is like a mother to the restaurant’s kitchen staff. She shares her knowledge, often showing the right way to use a knife or teaching proper food safety practices. She volunteers to cook or shop for the underprivileged, to help others obtain their own American Dream. "If I can do it, you can do it," she tells them.

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James Young
Abuelo’s
Lubbock, Texas

As a child in Taiwan, James Young started a business hand-coating tin cans to make extra money. He hired his cousins for extra help. In 1974, he came to the United States on one-way ticket with $500 in his pocket. He pursued a graduate degree in engineering from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, where he met his wife, Margaret, who also is from Taiwan.

After they married, Young worked two jobs -- as a waiter at a Chinese restaurant and at a McDonald’s. During summer break, the couple decided to open a small Chinese restaurant near the Texas Tech campus, paying $150 in rent for a vacated taco stand. Drawing on his restaurant work experience, Young opened the “Chinese Kitchen” as a fast-food concept. In three months, the restaurant was turning a profit, and the James Young never returned to school.

He brought his parents to the United States to help him run a second Chinese Kitchen. By the mid-1980s, he had 16 units throughout West and Central Texas and eastern New Mexico.

In 1987, James partnered with industry veteran Charles Anderson in a new concept. Recognizing an opportunity in Mexican casual dining, they created Abuelo’s, an atypical Tex-Mex eatery. The first opened in Amarillo in 1990. Today there are 39 Abuelo’s in 15 states. The company has nearly $120 million in sales a year.

Young continues to follow a lesson he learned as a child entrepreneur in Taiwan: by giving an opportunity to others, you create an opportunity for yourself.

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