Trader Vic’s
Victor Jules Bergeron was born in San Francisco in December, 1902. After the earthquake of 1906, his father moved the family to Black Point in Marin County, where the children had lots of room to roam, fish and play. Vic suffered from tuberculosis and one leg had been amputated, so he and his brother Nars got to school in a two-wheeled, horse-drawn cart.
Tough and Persistent
Around 1912 the family moved to 6432 San Pablo Avenue in what was then known as the Rock Island Tract, Mr. Bergeron had a grocery and hardware business downstairs called the Rock Island Grocery, and the family lived above the store.
The father was an ingenious tinkerer in the kitchen, turning out dishes like sorrel (sour gras) omelets and a pineapple, banana, ham and eggs concoction which inspired Trader Vic’s “Eggs Hawaiian.” One of Vic’s chores was to cut and haul the firewood upstairs. At this time, many people had wood stoves (across the street from 6432 is an old building where COALWOOD can be dimly seen on the aged siding). This was quite a job for a kid with one leg and a crutch, but the Bergeron’s didn’t believe in coddling him. When Vic fell down the stairs, he just picked up the wood and started up again. He attended the Bay Public School (precursor to the Golden Gate School) and participated in sports with the other boys. He was an active Boy Scout as well. The young Bergeron grew up tough, persistent and interested in food.
An Ice Pick in His Leg
Bergeron attended business school and worked as a salesman, later tending bar for his Uncle Feret, who had a saloon at 6444 San Pablo. At some point he hit upon an idea for a theme restaurant. It would be decorated like a hunting lodge and he would call it Hinky Dink’s. So he had a 22 x 26 foot building put up on the corner of 65th Street and San Pablo for $500. Even though it was the middle of the Depression, he was sure it would work. All the deer heads and other hunting lodge paraphernalia stimulated conversation, at a time when people needed a place to take their minds off their troubles. Bergeron also provided ten-cent beer and free lunches to attract customers, who would be startled when he occasionally stuck an ice pick in his wooden leg.
Mr. Mai Tai
Then his wife (probably tired of mending pants) got the idea that the place would be even more interesting if he called it ‘‘Trader Vic’s.” They took down the hunting lodge decorations, put up tropical decor, a neon Sign, and served Chinese food with rum-based drinks. Vic traveled and studied fancy drinks, inventing some of his own. There was one—the Zombie—served in a ceramic skull-shaped mug which seemed to have steam coming out of the eyes.
Perhaps his most famous concoction was the Mai Tai, consisting of:
- 2 oz. 17-year-old Jamaican rum
- 1/2 oz. Curacao
- 1/2 oz. orgeat syrup
- 1/4 oz. Rock Candy syrup
- Juice of 1 lime
All shaken together and garnished with a sprig of mint
Over the years, Bergeron expanded his business and started restaurants in San Francisco, Beverly Hills and many other locations, including Taipei. He had a successful Mexican theme restaurant chain as well.
Two palm trees mark the location of the original Trader Vic’s restaurant, which closed in 1972, after 38 years. The new Trader Vic’s opened at 9 Anchor Drive in Emeryville where you can still get a Zombie.
This story originally published in 1996 for the Emeryville Centennial Celebration and compiled into the ‘Early Emeryville Remembered’ historical essays book.
