Wired Chef: Mother & daughter bringing café concept to the New York Wire Works building

For as long as she can remember, Trinh Zapata has dreamed of opening a restaurant. Her daughter, Delia Pabon, wanted to open a café.

Next week brings the debut of their café and restaurant Wired Chef, located inside New York Wire Works building in York, offering a rotating menu of Asian-American fusion cuisine, fresh baked goods and coffee.

Located right as you enter the industrial space housing over 60 vendors, the café space is homey and warm. It's decorated with a handful of Pabon’s houseplants, artwork and vintage furniture – some of which are painted by local artists. The smell of century-old wood meets the nutty aromas of coffee and smoky fried rice.

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Combining two passions

While her family is originally from China, Zapata was born in Vietnam. In 1979, her family traveled by boat to Malaysia, where they lived in a refugee camp for a year before moving to York in 1980 when she was 14 years old.

After arriving in the United States, her father died, leaving her mother to raise six children. Along with her five siblings, Zapata was heavily involved in helping around the house, particularly helping her mother with the cooking.

She went on to work in kitchens all over York County, running her own catering company, and currently works as a sous chef at the Hollywood Casino. And now, in less than a week, she will take on her role as head chef and co-owner at Wired Chef.

Pabon, who was born and raised in York, works in IT consulting for the state and often sets up her workspace in neighborhood cafes – a blessing from the pandemic, she said.

“I make a home in a café or coffee shop, and I work there for the day. I love being in these inviting spaces where I can work.”

In October, Pabon stopped by the 717 Vintage Fest, a pop-up vintage vendor event hosted by Revolt Style Studio, an independent vintage store in York.

“It was my first time attending, and I loved seeing it full of people and see so much going on in the space.”

On her way out, she thought how nice it would be to grab a coffee or bite to eat after shopping. After noticing an empty café space by the entrance, she called her mom.

“We had been talking about her (Zapata’s) potential restaurant business and this just made the most sense to make the dream come to life,” Pabon said.

By November, the two were signing a lease and are now preparing for their opening day.

Wired Chef: A dream made possible with trust

A blend of the mother-daughter duo's skill sets, Wired Chef will offer a variety of coffee beverages using Philly Fair Trade Roasters ,who freshly roast their coffee on demand, ensuring quality and flavor.

Espresso-based beverages, smoothies and tea beverages will be available and incorporate tea from Wire Works vendor Quite the Stir.

For food, Zapata will be cooking up handmade pork dumplings paired with a perfectly tangy, homemade “secret” Chinese sauce. A colorful vegetarian fried rice bursting with flavor will also be available and can be made vegan.

For quick and easy grab-and-go lunch options, Wired Chef will offer breakfast and lunch sandwiches, including a Vietnamese pork banh mi, a rotating soup of the week and salads. Homemade pastries will also be available regularly and will include vegan and gluten-free options as the menu continues to expand.

Wired Chef will also offer catering for every occasion, whether it's a wedding, party, a corporate event and more.

The mother-daughter team wants the community to feel at home when they come. Visitors who stay awhile can enjoy coffee in a mug or in a hurry – grab food to go. They can even explore the rest of the building and check out the local merchants.

“I trust her with the food, she trusts me with the business and café side of it, so we’re just taking it week by week. Luckily, she’s my mother and I trust her implicitly,” said Pabon.

Since announcing their opening date last week, the two say the response from the community has been overwhelmingly positive.

Wired Chef will be open for business on Tuesday, Jan. 16, on Zapata's birthday. The café will open at 9 a.m. and lunch will be served starting at noon.

Wired Chef is located at 441 E. Market St., York and will be open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Mother and daughter bringing café to the New York Wire Works building