A conversation with Kenny Hak – Kenny’s Pork Rolls

Situated in Darlinghurst is a small shop delivering rolls filled with crispy pork crackling that infiltrates the sound waves of the entire street. No, it’s not Mr Crackles but it’s neighbour two stores down named Kenny’s Pork Rolls that’s starting to create a little reputation of their own for who owns the loudest crunch. There’s no competition though, says owner Kenny Hak, who firmly believes that everyone deserves success and if they succeed, everyone succeeds. His pork rolls are so good it’s compelled me to visit twice now, but it’s his naturally good nature that draws me for an interview. His life story is truly one of intrigue and his perspective on life is definitely worth sharing. This is the story of Kenny’s Pork Rolls and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed interviewing him.

D: “So, what were you doing before opening the Pork Roll shop?”

Kenny: “Before I was a courier. I had left my parents and I had no job. I worked a few jobs in order to make it because I wanted to buy a house. All that time working different jobs I eventually found a job at Toll. It was 6 figures and I jumped at it straight away. When I was younger, that was my dream – to make $1000. Boy, I was wrong. I had made $1000 before Toll because I was working a few jobs but it didn’t feel right. I was making way more than that at Toll and had everything I wanted, but I wasn’t happy.”

“While I was a courier, I wanted to open Kenny’s Pork Rolls but I was scared. My Toll job was perfect but I knew I didn’t want to be there. I kept asking whether I wanted to stay in this job, be depressed and lie about it? Or do I take the risk? Then the Japanese bought Toll out. That was my opportunity to jump and I did. I was the only one though and people laughed at me. But I did it and I’m glad I did. I reckon I made the right choice. Once you jump that’s it, you work it out.”

D: “So, that’s when you decided to go for your Pork Roll shop?”

Kenny: “Yeah. This was my dream and my gift. I had learnt during my previous job it wasn’t all about the money. I was taught that when I grow up I had to make a lot of money and buy a house. I had lost everything before and realised that it wasn’t true. I didn’t need those things at all. I have faith now and I know I can make it through things.”

“I love it now and I know what the vision for this shop is. I have a website coming and I’m ready to grow this shop. Back when I was working the corporate job, there wasn’t room to grow. Opening this shop, I have more guts and I’ve gotten rid of my fear. I like doing this before but doing this I’ve been able to meet you and other food bloggers building my network – this is growing. I didn’t know that before but now I do. My attitude was back then chasing money and all the fake stuff. That stuff isn’t really for me and it made me depressed.”

D: “So why did you want to do a pork roll shop?”

Kenny: “Well I grew up with pork rolls. I grew up in the early 90s to the late 90s. The pork rolls were only $2.50 back then and I loved the roll on the left-hand side. My mum makes me one day and asked me to eat it. I said I didn’t want to eat it because it can’t be as good… I was wrong. It was delicious and that’s when my vision started. I saw how popular pork rolls were in areas like Cabramatta, Hurstville and Marrickville. No marketing right but the location was just perfect for them. I kept seeing the pork roll shop near my gym getting busy and just kept thinking ‘Oh, that could be me’ but I kept chickening out. I finally decided to do it and I nearly found a place in Newtown. The rent was already steep but it got even steeper so I think someone was looking after me. This shop (the current location in Darlinghurst) was a place I kept driving past and it was perfect – best of all, it became available. If I was at Newtown, the overhead was so expensive I would’ve failed.”

D: “Opening day, tell me what that was like?”

Kenny: “It was scary. I nearly peed my pants and my legs were shaking. I had just left a really good job, and on opening day I only made $300. I was hearing from so many different people I thought I had failed. I had to get it together and I did that by spending time by myself. I got rid of my ego because I realised I had nothing and I didn’t need anything. Kenny’s Pork Rolls became my foundation and I’ve just rebuilt my life from there. With this shop, I can do my thing and be me. I don’t care about money and all I care about is my soul. This shop and feeding the homeless has been good for my soul.”  

Kenny has been helping those in need by feeding them on occasions often serving them rice and different meats. Kenny goes on to explain about his youth, and the rough crowd that he often surrounded himself with, lamenting his many misdeeds and misdemeanours that he felt ‘just wasn’t him’ and left him questioning ‘what am I doing here?’. The community would go on to help him with his business during the tough times of the COVID-19 pandemic. With his pork roll store, a more positive outlook on life, and being surrounded by the right things, he says more than happy to help out the homeless – it’s a way to give back to the community and help to atone his soul.

D: “What was it like to go through that period with COVID?”

Kenny: “The first two weeks were really scary. I don’t watch the news but my ex-wife told me I had to close the store and shut down. I was scared. But the community and my loyal customers supported me throughout the entire time. When I saw that, I knew straight away I had to give back somehow and the homeless people immediately came to mind. They’re just disadvantaged people and they need help too. When I go there and they see that I genuinely want to help, that makes me really happy. From all the things in my past, this has also been really good for my soul. I love doing it. When my shop becomes even more successful, I want to be the type of shop to donate as well. I’m not going to be a shop that keeps all the money.”

Kenny explains that the “money won’t follow me to the grave” and that it will go to much better use going to the people that need it. He wants to work hard on his dream, take his sons to Disneyland and make sure the shop is successful so he can give back any way he can.

D: “What was the biggest thing you learnt from COVID-19?”

Kenny: “I learnt it was not about the money and I knew it was about community. I didn’t care about money. As long as I could pay my overheads and pay my staff, that’s all I care about. People tell me I’ve got no money in the bank because of it – that’s not what it’s about. I get to do what I want. As long as I pay off what I have to, to keep going that’s all I have to worry about. That’s what COVID has taught me during that period.”

D: “Why do you enjoy feeding the homeless?”

Kenny: “It makes me know who I am and it heals. I’m not going to lie and say it’s just only for the homeless. It’s also for all the stuff I’ve done in the past. All I took in the past is what I am giving back. The energy I took back then, I’m trying to reverse and give it back it now and extend to the homeless. That’s why I give so much and do the Christmas party for them. It makes me feel good.”

D: “What the future of Kenny’s Pork Rolls?”

Kenny: “I just want to help other people find their gift. That’s what Kenny’s Pork Rolls is about. For my success, my staff have to be happy. I know my sense of direction – they need to be first and I need to be last. Customers are the ones bringing the income and my staff are the ones who contribute to that. If I treat my staff well then they’ll treat my customers well. I’m here to set up the system right and then the money will sort itself out. I want to build myself up and share my story. If I can do it coming from such a bad background, I want to show others they can do it too.”

The interview ends there as I go on to have a chat with Kenny about life. The man has truly been through a lot and you can tell that his passion for life is really about giving to others the courage to build or rebuild themselves much in the same vein he has. His shop, it feels, transcends a humble pork roll store situated in the busy strip of Oxford. Kenny wants it to be a symbol of freedom, abundance, love and the act of giving. So make your way to Kenny’s Pork rolls to eat what truly are some of the best pork crackling rolls I’ve ever and meet the man behind the name, Kenny Hak.