Saved by the bowl
As Saigon fell in 1975 — marking the end of the Vietnam War — a serendipitous incident involving a bowl of pho inadvertently saved Nguyen and his family from returning to the South Vietnamese capital, where certain death awaited his father. This pivotal moment not only led to their eventual resettlement in the U.S., but also instilled in him a deep sense of connection to Vietnamese cuisine.
- While preparing to leave a convent in a coastal city and return to Saigon, a bowl of pho spilled on Nguyen’s uncle, causing a delay as he went to clean up. This prevented his father, a general in the Vietnamese army, and their family from departing immediately, Nguyen told D Magazine in a recent interview.
- During his uncle’s absence, barricades were erected on the road back to Saigon, and the family was advised against returning due to the country’s fall. This advice led them to abandon their plans to return.
- The delay prevented the family from returning to a perilous situation. They encountered troop carriers the following day, leading to their rescue by an American battleship and their resettlement in the U.S.
- This experience later inspired Nguyen to enter the restaurant industry. In 2012, he opened DaLat, a Vietnamese restaurant named after his home province, specializing in pho and other Vietnamese dishes.
Venturing into pizza
Driven by his passion for food and culinary exploration, Nguyen transitioned from working in corporate law and software sales to launching his own restaurants, eventually specializing on pizza. Despite no prior experience in the restaurant business, his entrepreneurial spirit and self-learning approach paved the way for his success in the industry.
- After his successful launch of DaLat, Nguyen…
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