Restaurant Talks OFF THE CLOCK with Jon Nguyen

From the outskirts of Saigon, in the countryside of Dong Nai, Vietnam, that is where our story starts. Chef Thai Dang and his family had to overcome unthinkable odds just to be able to escape communist Vietnam. And with every step in their journey, there were harder hurdles to climb just to survive. This story of am immigrant family coming from nothing and finding success through businesses in the U.S and then producing one of the country's best Vietnamese chefs is truly amazing. Please join us as we go back in time and find out what the foundation is behind the success and career of Chef Thai Dang. It is definitely not your average rags to riches story.

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Come eat rice with us! That's basically what our guest is serving up, along with an ever-changing menu of deliciousness, with his new pop up project out in LA called AN COM. Today's guest is Nguyen Bui, formerly of Rustic Canyon and a rising chef talent in our industry. Usually, we have guests on who've already gone through hell and back to get to where they are today, but today we talk with Nguyen, who is just starting his journey to find his own voice in this business. We get the perspective of someone who's making that transition in real-time, and with such talent and pedigree, we get to understand what's going on behind all his decisions in his path. We talk about navigating through the web of uncertainties of this business as well as the web of authenticity that is Vietnamese cuisine, and how to truly evolve cuisine. We hope that this episode serves as precursor to what Nguyen plans to do with his talents and realizes his own dreams in this business. Enjoy the show!

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EMERGENCY CHANGE OF PLANS. With such turmoil and social injustice in this world, we felt like as a show of hope, resiliency, and overcoming struggles, what kind of show would we be if we didn't shed light on ALL of that going on right now. I've never been one to speak up on racism or social injustice. I've never been mistreated by the police or any law enforcement officer. I don't have much wisdom to share regarding this issue, and I certainly don't have many answers. But one thing I can do is take care of those closest to me and do my best to take care of the community surrounding me the best way I can through the platforms I have to show support. There can only be love and compassion to lead us to progress because hate and blame will just keep us spinning around in the same circles. Instead of asking around for "when will this hate end?" let's all just be the change within our communities to show everyone that we can all be outliers to the narratives being written right now. #blacklivesmatter

PART 2 of our conversation with my greatest teacher, Tien Ho. We reveal the core motivation behind this podcast and how it relates to our relationship with Tien. We pick up his story right as he's starting his journey with Momofuku and developing his voice, and the struggles that came along with that. Through all the planning and any preparations he could have made, nothing could have prepared him for what his life had in store for him as he pivoted fortuitously towards a career in the corporate world becoming a C-Level executive for several companies after his time in restaurants. This is a story of the continuous search for knowledge and owning your own identity. Enjoy the show and please remember to subscribe.

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This is our most SPECIAL episode as we get to chat with my greatest mentor and biggest influences in my life both professional and personal, Chef Tien Ho. This is PART 1 of our 2 part conversation with Tien, because we felt this conversation deserved its own week. We get to go deep into Tien's past and learn about his humble beginnings and what he and his family had to go through in order to immigrate over to America. In this episode, Tien reminisces about the days of cooking on the line with now culinary giants in America's restaurant industry. Even the greats had to start somewhere and his story is seemingly not so different from anyone who's just trying to find their voice and learn their ways in their 20's and 30's. His thirst for knowledge is what led him into the legendary kitchens of old school Cafe Bolud and eventually Cafe Gray, and no amount of adversity could keep him from learning the skills he felt he needed in his life. Please just sit back, enjoy and try to absorb as much wisdom as you can from the stories we uncover from the early life of the great Tien Ho.

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Oakland Represent! That's the community that today's guest reps 100%. Chef Tu David Phu didn't grow up like most of us. His upbringing was riddled with violence, turmoil, and economic strife. From a family with both parents working minimum wage jobs and growing up in a neighborhood where gang violence and murder were just part of life, Tu found himself stuck between 2 worlds. The word "Culture" had no bearing of nationality or race or even family to him. He is a product of his community and that is what he devotes his life to now. He uses his passion for cooking as a platform to spread his message of positivity and perseverance throughout his community now and beyond. His story will inspire, sadden, challenge, and uplift you all at the same time. This is one of our favorite interviews yet, and we hope you enjoy the show!

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DON'T HATE. APPRECIATE! Appreciate that our culture is beloved by outsiders so much that they would devote their lives to honoring our cuisine. Ben Lowell is one of those people. He is the owner of Hanoi House in the East Village, Manhattan. Ben's story is like most of us in the industry, just living life day by day and enjoying his time with his friends in the restaurants he worked in. He always wanted to open a restaurant, but as we all know about this business, that goal doesn't really happen right away, and for some of us, it never happens at all. But for Ben, he had a solid plan to explore the world and experience different cultures, with then his girlfriend (now fiance) Sarah. And what he came back with from his travels was a more defined focus on what exactly it was that he wanted. And that was when Hanoi House was born. His story will give us hope and teach us not to judge ourselves on the paths we take. He teaches us that as long as you have a focus towards a goal and work with purpose, you'll eventually get to where you want to be. Join us for this light-hearted and adventurous journey down the story of Ben Lowell. Thanks and enjoy the show!

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He is the Greatest Vietnamese Chef to ever win in Kitchen Stadium, Iron Chef (to my knowledge, he might be the only Vietnamese chef to ever step foot in Kitchen Stadium). It is our esteemed pleasure to welcome Chef Viet Pham to our show today. Our conversation with him came with its share of surprises as he takes us through his improbable journey to becoming Food & Wine's Best New Chef and land TV spots that got him all the way to Kitchen Stadium to beat Bobby Flay on Iron Chef America. He's been such an aspiring figure to young Asian cooks all across America, including me. And the message is that as long as we focus on our true calling and remain positive in our outlook on life, interesting things are bound to happen. Chef Viet's story is one of undeniable redemption and constantly creating opportunities for ourselves and all the lives that we touch. Enjoy the show!

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If you were ever wondering what the food hall business was all about, here is a glimpse as to what goes on behind the kitchen doors. We talk with the former poster child of the St. Roch Market food hall company, Tung Nguyen, who has now moved on to open his own restaurant and has a strong following in New Orleans. His incredible story behind his brand has deep roots embedded in the family foundation behind it. We talk about his deep family ties in the restaurant business and how he branched out onto his own outside of the shadows of his brother's and sister's successful businesses. Through continuous frustrations with the food hall that housed his brand, he eventually found success, getting national attention. Join us for a genuinely heartfelt story of this humble Vietnamese Sandwich Shop building upon traditional family roots.

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MIAMI LEGENDS IN THE MAKING! That's who our guests are today. Meet Brad & Soraya Kilgore! Their contribution to Miami's culinary scene and their impact on our industry can only be surpassed by their love and commitment to one another. After being married at a very young age and building the culinary empire they now have in Miami, it's extraordinary to see their passion and dedication to one another has not faded a single bit. It was quite the honor to listen to their story of love, turbulence, patience, and the ultimate pursuit of excellence. They are true pioneers in our city and it was so special to have them on. Please join us for a conversation of laughs, cries, and great insight as get to know these industry role models in Miami.

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