Authentic Pho, Back to the Roots

About the Chef

For most of my life, I only had one idea of what traditional pho was. I had only ever had it at two places, both close to where I grew up in the DC area. But when I went to California and met Gia and her dad, my whole outlook on pho changed. Her dad made me the most delicious bowl of pho I had ever tasted. The flavor was clean and savory. It was an amazing experience that completely changed my perspective. I would spend the following weeks dreaming about going back to Cali to eat his pho, drink his pho, and bathe in the broth. Eventually, I went back to California to ask Gia’s dad to share his recipe for pho with me. This recipe would go on to influence my own rendition of traditional pho.

I began to host a series of dinner parties for family and friends, yielding amazing responses. Our guests were all in agreement: I should be doing this for a living. With the positive reception, Gia and I put our heads together to begin brainstorming a food concept that would bring this special pho recipe to the public. This would be the beginning of the vision for Phoxotic.