I went on a work trip to Cerritos, California. When I shared this fact with others, their reactions were often marked by boredom. There is a mall there, nothing else, they said.

What’s interesting about photography to me is the beauty that can be found in the ordinary. After reading on the Cerritos township website, I discovered a fascinating fact. Cerritos used to be called Dairyland. It was once a thriving hub, home to thousands of cows and many Dutch and Portuguese dairy farmers.

This discovery prompted me to go on a journey to find remnants of the drive-through dairy farms that once thrived in the area.

Dutch Mill and Jersey Gold, two beloved drive through convenience stores, were operated by two brothers. The buildings, constructed in the 1950s, have stood the test of time. The current owners have been managing these stores for the past 15 years.

Dutch Mill once had a green roof, but the boisterous owner opted for a bold red paint job, believing it to be a “more powerful color”. He’s Indian.

I asked him for a portrait. While he muttered “you’re killing me, lady”, he quickly helped another customer and proudly posed in front of his store. He also insisted that I check out his other store which is more “dairy forward”.

This brought me to Jersey Gold. Jersey Gold had recently welcomed a new employee. This friendly young man had previously worked in the warehouse behind the store. He had been recruited to join the staff. The day I captured his portrait was his third day on the job. But he absolutely seemed to know what he’s doing.

As I captured the early morning light of the store’s sign, displaying bread, bacon, ice cream, I observed the delivery man unloading cases of inventory from a semi-truck and a man dressed in business casual boarding a bus to embark on their workday. In that moment, the world seems to be okay, and peaceful even, maybe because a piece of history and present are being remembered.