Pancakes, latkes and the American Dream

After spending nearly my entire life on the East Coast, I moved to Texas in 2014, which prompted a series of culture shocks. But within a few weeks, my wife and I had made a surprising find just down the street from our new home — Cindi’s New York Deli, one of four locations in the Dallas area.

Cindi’s exuded East Coast vibes — a mix between a quintessential Jersey diner and a New York City coffeeshop or delicatessen, complete with Jewish staples like matzo ball soup and latkes.

I expected the restaurant’s backstory to be one of another coastal expat, a transplant to Texas bringing a flavor from back home. Instead, what I found over time was a story of the American Dream — one that resonates as a turbulent election year ends.

Cindi’s is owned by Anh Vo, a Vietnamese immigrant who came to the United States at the age of 21 in 1979. Three years earlier, Vo’s husband, who served in the South Vietnamese military, had been captured by the Viet Cong and sent to prison. After securing his release, Vo decamped for the U.S. with her husband and their weeks-old daughter.

The young family’s journey was long and treacherous. They were robbed four times. They arrived in America unable to speak English. Vo became a seamstress and then ran a small coffee shop. Ten years after arriving in Texas, in 1989, a local diner went out of business, and Vo turned it into the first Cindi’s location, which still operates today.

“It was an opportunity, and I needed to make a living to provide for the family,” Vo told me in an interview this week. “I thought, ‘any cuisine, I can learn.’ I believed in my ability to learn and grow. The American Dream story is one of opportunity, hard work and possibility.”

On the walls of the Cindi’s I frequent weekly, patrons can see the profiles of Vo as the business leader and entrepreneurial powerhouse she became. It includes a moving article published after the September 11 attacks in which Vo speaks about the need for Americans to appreciate the freedoms we have, and the need to work to keep them.

The Cindi’s story is not just about the American Dream, but also about Vo’s insistence on keeping the New York diner experience exactly as it should be. There’s a respect for culture, both the Jewish deli one, and the introduction of Texas cuisine into the menu. (The Migas are incredible, and my go-to dish is the Tex-Mex omelet.)

But beyond the spectacular food, Vo has captured the essence of what it means to be a community. There is a warmth, a welcoming spirit and an acceptance of all who enter Cind’s – just like Vo was accepted to this country. 

Forces within the political establishment, and particularly among the Acela Media based in New York City and Washington, D.C., are incentivized to keep us divided. Their business model succeeds when Americans feel disconnected from each other and connected to elite gatekeepers instead. There’s a reason cable news punditry is so prevalent and so frivolous.

Cindi’s represents the antithesis of this point of view. If you walk into Cindi’s on a typical, bustling, Saturday morning, you’ll feel an almost tangible aura of unity. Cindi’s staff and patrons are of just about every race and ethnicity, every sexual orientation, every age — and undoubtedly every political persuasion. In October, I witnessed one young Hispanic mother in a “Fight Fight Fight” shirt eating breakfast with her toddler son, who was rocking a gold MAGA hat. And I know enough of the neighborhood to know there were Kamala Harris supporters chowing down too. (The partisan split in Dallas County is about 60 percent Democrat to 40 percent Republican.)

None of that matters when you’re there to eat the pancakes or Reubens. “I'm very proud of our diverse staff and customers, and the fact that there's something for everyone at Cindi's,” Vo told me. “We don't cater to just one type of customer. Our staff works hard to make Cindi's feel like a cozy neighborhood spot where everyone belongs.”

The COVID-19 pandemic took a toll on Cindi’s. But Vo credits the strong bond the area has with her gathering spot for powering through the tough times over the past few years. “I'm so grateful that we made it through the pandemic as a community,” she said. “More than ever, I think we need to remember our common ground and the importance of community.”

In 2024, the Cindi’s model won. Americans across the country, and across demographic groups, rejected the false narratives pushed by a smug and disconnected group of zombie elites. But more importantly, inside Cindi’s, politics can take a backseat to what matters so much more — what unites us rather than what divides us.

At the end of your meal, when you inevitably have leftovers to take home, Cindi’s take-out boxes are adorned with a sticker: “Only in America.”

“Only in America can you have a Vietnamese Catholic woman own New York-style Jewish delis with southern food in Dallas,” said Vo. “I am so grateful to live in America, the land of opportunity and freedom.”

As 2024 comes to a close, we all should be.

Steve Krakauer, a NewsNation contributor, is the author of “Uncovered: How the Media Got Cozy with Power, Abandoned Its Principles, and Lost the People” and editor and host of the Fourth Watch newsletter and podcast.