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For Mieng Lee, Ching Lao and Cheek Traing, it has been a long road to the opening of Sakura Ichiban Japanese and Thai Cuisine (3015 High Point Road, Greensboro; 316-0629).

The three sisters, along with five other siblings, escaped the Khmer Rouge and left Cambodia in 1979. After two years in a camp in Thailand, they made it to the United States and settled in Asheboro with the help of an older sister, who had already immigrated to North Carolina, and Lutheran Family Services.

Along the way, they left behind their homeland, two brothers and a sister who are still missing in Cambodia. Several years ago, they lost their mother, who had led the family on foot for a month to safety from the Cambodian atrocities. But through it all, they have had each other as they worked for years at Bamboo Garden in Asheboro before moving on to work for and open other restaurants such as Emperor's Garden in Sanford and Southern Pines and Happy Garden in Jamestown.

The love and food they have shared through the years has culminated in their first Greensboro restaurant, Sakura, in the former location of Po' Folks Family Restaurant and Blue Ribbon Restaurant.

Sakura offers a full menu of hibachi dinners such as vegetables, grouper, steak, chicken and shrimp. Each meal is served with vegetables, fried rice, a California roll, spring roll, salad and soup. Prices range from $10.95 to $18.95. The Sakura Special ($30.90) includes scallops, shrimp and chicken.

Thai specialties include Pad Thai with scallops, Spicy Basil, Pad Prik Khing with kaffir lime leaves and three flavors of curry. Dishes are served with a choice of tofu, chicken or beef for $12.95 or shrimp for $14.95 and are served with steamed rice and soup.

Fried seafood platters (served with cole slaw, hush puppies, fries and soup) range from $8.50 for clam strips to $14.95 for scallops. Choose any two for $16.95 or any three for $19.95.

The lunch menu features many of the hibachi, Thai and fried seafood items at reduced prices.

Sakura also offers a menu of appetizers (spicy chicken, veggie spring roll, fried tofu), soup (Miso, crab meat, Thai shrimp) and salads including a grilled beef papaya salad ($10.95).

A menu of mild hibachi items is available for kids. And exotic desserts such as Red Bean Ice Cream, Green Tea Ice Cream and Sticky Thai Rice are an interesting way to round off the meal.

Lunch is served from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily; dinner is served from 4 to 9:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 4 to 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Coffee unit on the move

If you've wondered about a large, orange van cruising around dispensing coffee, wonder no more. Bearclaw Coffee (www.bearclawcoffee.com) has come to the Triad.

The mobile unit is a self-sufficient coffee shop serving coffee drinks, smoothies and pastries. The vehicle is state-of-the-art with a low-noise diesel generator and LED lights, William "Billy" Vaughan says.

Bearclaw is based in Chelsea, Mich., but Vaughan, and his wife, Greta, own and operate the local mobile unit. The Vaughans decided to purchase the unit when their employer fell on hard times last year.

"We wanted to do something out of the box," William Vaughan says. "It's a lot of fun."

The Bearclaw mobile unit has two windows through which they serve Bearclaw coffee and hot and cold espresso beverages ($2.30-$4.75) and smoothies ($4-$5).

The unit sells pastries such as items from Spring Garden Bakery, Erin Baker's Cookies and Bearclaw's signature Bear Bites, a to-go cup of doughnut holes.

Bearclaw also sells Italian sodas and dog treats.

The Vaughans support community sports, and the Bearclaw unit often can be found at events at sports centers in High Point and Kernersville and community events such as Relay for Life.

But the most obvious place to find the Bearclaw unit is 7 to 11 a.m. weekdays in the parking lot of Yum Yum Better Ice Cream (1219 Spring Garden St.) in Greensboro. The unit also makes lunchtime rounds at Polo Ralph Lauren Corp. (4100 Beechwood Drive) in Greensboro and Century Park, South Main Street and Business 40 in Kernersville.

Or place an order for 15 or more, and the Bearclaw unit will come to your place of work. Just call 757-6629 or e-mail greta@bearclawcoffee. com.

Proceeds for food drive

Dine at one of Greensboro's Steak 'n Shakes (2647 Lawndale Drive and 4409 Wendover Ave.) from 4 to 9 p.m. Thursday, mention the food drive by the National Association of Letter Carriers, and 15 percent of your bill will be donated to the food drive.

The NALC Branch No. 630 will hold the food drive on May 8 when residents can leave canned goods out for postal carriers to pick up. The drive will be launched from 3 to 5 p.m. April 30 at the Natural Science Center of Greensboro, 4301 Lawndale Drive. Admission to the museum is discounted with a donation of three nonperishable food items.

Gelato goes mobile

Gnam Gnam Gelato (3712-K Lawndale Drive, Greensboro; www.gnamgnamgelato.com) has gone mobile.

The shop has a cart to serve Italian gelato at events such as the Earth Day celebration from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Natural Science Center of Greensboro (4301 Lawndale Drive), and Dia de Los Ninos, a Poetry GSO event, from 1 to 6 p.m. May 1 at Center City Park in Greensboro.

For information on reserving the cart for events, call the shop at 288-8008.

Free knife sharpening

Sur la Table (3334 W. Friendly Ave., Greensboro; 291-9962) at The Shops at Friendly is offering free knife sharpening.

Through the end of the month, get two knives sharpened at no charge. Each additional knife will cost $1 per blade inch.

Finalists for free franchise

A High Point couple have been selected as a semifinalist for the "This Could Be Yours, The Great TCBY Store Giveaway."

Andrew and Laurie Hogan's video submission to the company's yogurt shop giveaway contest won them a spot as one of the 10 semifinalists vying for a shot at winning their own TCBY store.

"We'd always joked around about owning different franchises," Laurie Hogan says. "We watched some of the videos and decided to be creative."

So the Hogans spent a Sunday afternoon shooting some 600 photographs with which to create a black-and-white stop-motion video reminiscent of early silent movies.

From April 26 through May 2, voters may nominate their favorite videos at www.TCBY.com to determine the five finalists. Get a preview of the Hogan's video by searching for Andrew and Laurie's "The Great TCBY Store Giveaway" Video at www.YouTube.com.

Animal adoption event

The Animal Rescue & Foster Program will have some of their four-legged friends on hand for CapPOOCHino Day from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Greensborough Coffee, 400 State St. in Greensboro. Lyn Koonce will provide live music. For information, call 574-9600.

Taste locally at fair

Hogan's Groovy Gourmet, Zaytoon, Goat Lady Dairy, Massey Creek and other area farms and restaurants will participate in a Taste Fair from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday at Deep Roots Market (3728 Spring Garden St.; 292-9216) in Greensboro.

Stop by for samples and live music.

Contact Carl Wilson at 373-7145 or carl.wilson@news-record.com