Born in Vietnam, raised in Oakland, and determined to create a monster. So there we were – little kids fresh from Saigon, looking at this big new country, and watching our folks give it their all in the face of incredible odds. Beginning in this country as boat people made them strive to do better, no matter what, and their determination gave us an anything-is-possible mindset. Our Oakland childhood and those early years in Vietnam set the stage for a lifelong love affair with Vietnamese food.