The Highway 17 trek back and forth “over the hill” between Los Gatos and Santa Cruz—with its rush-hour chaos and treacherous turns on rainy days—is a route many are all too familiar with.
At the summit lies a reddish structure that has been seen by thousands (if not millions) of locals and tourists—and yet, many have never pulled over to see what lies inside.
And now, the owner of the enigmatic business, called Kambu Pizza, says he’s putting it up for sale after three-and-a-half decades.
“All types of people stop here,” says Daniel “Tony” Hwang, reflecting on the tourists from Germany, Poland, France, Australia, the Baltic region—and beyond—who’ve stopped in over the years. “Everyone knows me as Tony—because I wanted a relatable name, and it’s easy for people.”
Local residents may best recognize this as the business that has been the subject of much intrigue over the past couple years for flying North Korean flags (alongside those of other countries), and for a bright red sign that read “The great Korean people are a nation that possess 50 atomic bombs,” in white Comic Sans letters, which was posted temporarily outside.
Hwang says he fled his home country of South Korea in 1980, during a period of unrest, seeking a freer life.
At the end of the 1970s, anti-communist leader Park Chung Hee was assassinated and the country appeared to be moving in a democratic direction.
But on May 17, 1980, a military coup was led by General Chun Doo-hwan against the government of President Choi Kyu-hah.
“I don’t like Korean politics,” Hwang said. “They would stop you on the street if they thought you looked funny.”
Leaving a society he describes as very controlled, he seems to have arrived in America with the intention of creating community as a rebellion against those confinements.
When Hwang came to America, he spoke almost no English. So, he studied at a language school in Mountain View for a couple years.
He worked at a Korean bank in San Francisco and eventually borrowed money to open his own video shop at Story and King roads in San Jose around 1983-1986.
With his entrepreneurial background, his rural Los Gatos address was something Hwang had his eye on for a few years.
“I was going to church in Scotts Valley in the late ’80s…As I was driving, I saw a (for) sale sign for this location,” he said, adding he purchased the business and property on Summit Road for about $800,000 in 1990.
It initially opened as Casa Del 17—an homage to the highway—but has gone through several name changes over the years.
In 2000, Hwang changed the name to Pop’s Pizza, which was meant to mean grandfather, like papa.
Hwang decided to switch to Kambu Pizza (“Kambu,” he says, means “friend”) last February.
“I have been here for 35 years now,” Hwang said, considering the trees across the highway that grew up in the meantime. “You could see Monterey Bay from here.”
Now, Hwang says, he’s selling the pizza shop.
Inside the Business
One of the first things you notice when you walk through the front door of Kambu Pizza is the robust security system.
It monitors when you open the door to the party room in the back and even when you reach into the fridge to grab a can of soda.
“I’ve spent $10 million of my own money on this place,” Hwang said. “We have a 65,000-gallon pump, which cost 1.5 million to put in.”
A song titled “Kambu Pizza’s Sauce is the Key to their Fame” plays in the background.
When asked about the North Korean flags on the property, Hwang said he put them up to celebrate his heritage and sense of Korean pride.
While the interior decor includes a Donald Trump figurine, and a poster with Trump and Kim Jong Un on it, Hwang says he actually identifies as a Democrat.
The last time he voted in a US election was for Barack Obama, he adds.
‘You make money and you give it back to the people.’
—Daniel “Tony” Hwang, Kambu Pizza owner
Hwang says he used to sell medical marijuana at this location from 2010-2013, but then sold the business.
According to higherherb.org, Santa Cruz Mountain Herb held a recreational and medical license to sell cannabis at the location from July 17, 2019 to July 16, 2020.
Hwang’s current plan is to retire and move to Oregon with his wife.
“Everybody has a limited life,” he said, musing on the different philanthropic approaches of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. “Steve Jobs made money and didn’t enjoy life. You make money and you give it back to the people. It’s important to enjoy life. We’re almost at the end of life now. I have three brothers, one sister and me. My three brothers have all passed away. So, it’s just me and my sister. How many more years are we alive? Who knows. So, I’m thinking everyday, How much is left of my life? Money is not important. Today, how can I spend my life? That is my goal.”
For Hwang, success is self-defined: you get back what you give.
He tells an illustrative tale of the time, in 1991, a Lincoln Continental arrived with a loose wheel.
A woman got out and walked in, asking if he could have a look at her vehicle.
Hwang helped the traveler, who had a Motorola phone, and sent her on her way to Los Angeles.
Hwang left for Japan and promptly forgot about the whole thing.
But, a week later, he says an envelope from the Lockheed Martin defense corporation appeared in his mailbox.
Hwang recalls it was from the chairman, who wrote to say, Thank you. You saved my wife’s life. A $250 personal check was enclosed.
The response to his act of kindness reminded him that small actions can have a big impact.
What you find at this summit is a man who defined and achieved his own version of success.
Hwang still uses a flip-phone while wearing a hat with a flashlight connected to the front.
He says he sees himself as a “mountain man,” and says it’s people who have passed through his shop over the years who have made the journey worth it.
“Thank you, appreciate it,” he said. “You stopped by my store and you made my life. And for that reason, I am happy.”
