O Happy Bread: New ownership brings new menu items
A popular French bakery in Pahrump now has fresh exciting additions to its menu along with new ownership.
“I’m so happy that a lot of people have come out to show their support,” John Nguyen told the Pahrump Valley Times.
Nguyen has been the owner of O Happy Bread since April of this year. This is not Nguyen’s first foray into a business in Nye County’s largest community, as he and his wife, Helen Ta, purchased Happy Nails, a Pahrump nail salon in 2019. Nguyen also previously owned a Vietnamese restaurant in Washington state.
“I always wanted to open a restaurant after she got settled with the nail salon and then COVID hit,” Nguyen explained. “So, that part of my dream was just out of the window, and I’ve been helping her since COVID at the nail salon.”
Nguyen said that about two months ago he heard from one of their nail salon’s customers that O Happy Bread’s previous owners were looking to sell the restaurant. Nguyen added that he was hesitant about buying the bakery at first because of the upcoming busy summer season at the nail salon but later decided to seize the opportunity.
“So many times people ask me, ‘Is there a Vietnamese restaurant around here?’ I’m getting tired of saying, ‘No, you’ve got to go to Vegas,’” Nguyen joked. “So now I can tell them, ‘You can go to the French bakery.’”
O Happy Bread held an all-day grand reopening on Monday, May 4, where customers visited the establishment to taste the new items on the menu.
“To see everybody coming in, not just because of the deals that we do, but also to show support, it’s just overwhelming. I’m just so happy,” Nguyen enthused about the grand reopening.
Banh Mi (Vietnamese sandwiches made on French baguettes), spring rolls, curry soups and Vietnamese iced coffee are among some of the restaurant’s new offerings. While a French and Vietnamese bakery may initially sound like an interesting intersection of cuisines, Nguyen explained that the combination actually makes a lot of sense, recalling the long history between the two countries.
“The French were in Vietnam for over 100 years,” Nguyen elaborated. “So, we have a lot of delicious dishes, snacks, appetizers that have a little bit of the French touch. So, those are the items that I decided to bring in.”
Fans of the bakery’s French menu don’t have to worry about it leaving with the new ownership, as O Happy Bread’s freshly baked treats, European sandwiches and crusty loaves of bread are still present.
“I was a customer at one time and so I wanted to keep that [the French menu] going,” Nguyen explained. “I don’t want to disappoint people that have been here and enjoy the French onion soup, the lobster bisque, all the sandwiches, the breakfasts, the croissants. So we did keep most of them.”
O Happy Bread is located at 1231 E. Basin Ave., Suite 7. The restaurant is open seven days a week, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
For more information about O Happy Bread and its menu, visit the restaurant’s Facebook page under O Happy Bread/French Bakery &Café.
Contact reporter Elijah Dulay at edulay@pvtimes.com
