MINNEAPOLIS — The Quang Restaurant is synonymous with Eat Street.
The popular Vietnamese restaurant located in Minneapolis has been serving authentic Vietnamese cuisine for over 30 years.
It was opened by the Pham family, who immigrated to the U.S. after the Vietnam War.
"My dad died when I was young," said Khue Pham, the lead chef at Quang.
Khue is one of the Pham family members who played a significant role in the success of the restaurant. She says her mother opened the restaurant in her dad's honor, naming it after him.
The family began their journey in the U.S. by first operating a small grocery store before opening Quang in 1989.
"The neighborhood was very different when we first moved it. It wasn't safe," Khue said.
Over the decades, more restaurants with delicious food started joining them along Nicolet Avenue. Khue managed and operated the restaurant with her siblings for many years, ensuring that the family's vision of serving authentic and delicious Vietnamese food was upheld.
"She's one of the hardest workers I know," said Eric, Khue's son. "She would work six days a week growing up."
Eric has long admired his mother's skills and dedication to her craft. His siblings and cousins all grew up working at Quang in some capacity.
"I wanted them to go to college because I never could," Khue said.
It was important to her that her four children all went to college. She wanted them to have opportunities to pursue other careers outside of the family business.
College wasn't in the cards for Eric. He enrolled for around two semesters but decided to drop out to pursue cooking.
"He told us and I just cried," Khue said. "I was heartbroken."
Eric went off to land a job learning from some of the best in Minneapolis at Spoon and Stable. During this time, his relationship with his mother was strained. Eric says, "It was really hard for a long time."
He went on to start a ghost kitchen during the pandemic. The endeavor led to him getting his own space inside Bar Brava in Minneapolis.
Despite their challenging relationship, Eric dedicated his restaurant to his mother, naming it Khue's Kitchen.
"When I first started my restaurant, my dad told me he had to sleep on the couch a few times," Eric joked.
His dad eventually helped him get his mom to come around and see Eric's efforts.
"I am just so proud of him," Khue said.
Eric jokes that he and his mother fought because they're similar and it can lead to them clashing.
"It boosts me to have her support and her blessing," Eric said. "And do things the best I can because her name is on the restaurant."
Eric hopes to live up to his family name.
Quang Restaurant has received numerous accolades, including being named one of the top 10 best Vietnamese restaurants in the U.S. by Travel + Leisure magazine.
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities and across Minnesota in our YouTube playlist: