On building a strong team… I convinced my cousin and my brother to move to Denver, and we started a little Instagram show called Chit Chats. We’re telling stories of other creatives here in Denver. Not just about their food but their story.
I can’t put all my eggs into creating the best restaurant. There needs to be growth. There needs to be stuff outside of this that will help the restaurant grow. That’s what my attention is: helping to grow the business, to provide more opportunities for the people that are working for us right now.
On creating a collaborative menu… It’s a special moment because all the new dishes that have gone on the menu have been from our cooks. This is made by these young kids, some of whom are not even Vietnamese. They just understand the culture. They understand authenticity—not to Vietnamese people in general, but what it means to me. If you just narrow it down to that, it makes it easier for them to understand what Vietnamese food could look like for a particular individual.
Of course, we’re tasting and guiding them along the way. But right now, I’m really proud of the fact that these kids are taking this culture and learning about it and [making] food that they’re proud of. In turn, I’m proud of it.
Photograph by Michael Raines
On sharing Khmer culture… There’s a lot of pride and a sense of responsibility. I feel like 90-95% of the time, most [diners] are starting to understand the story. They’re starting to find a reason to delve more into the history. When people are inquisitive enough that when they leave the space, they want to research and find out more, I feel like I’ve done my part.
Whether it’s folks of my generation or younger or folks closer to my parents’ generation, they’re prideful that there’s a space for us and that there’s representation. And then some of the folks that are my generation or younger, their parents aren’t around anymore. For them to step in and take a bite out of something and be like, “Oh my gosh, this reminds me of being in my mom’s kitchen or my grandmother’s kitchen,” means a lot.
On the future of Khmer cuisine in America… I would love for it to be easily accessible as well as familiar in conversation. For folks to have an understanding of Cambodian Khmer food. What’s happened in the last five years with Filipino cuisine and culture, I would love to see that same trajectory, growth, and space for our culture.
