The Smithsonian recently announced it will honor Helene An with a Pioneer Award in Culinary Arts, recognizing her as “the mother of fusion cuisine” and “the first to introduce Vietnamese cuisine to mainstream America, changing American palates forever.”
The Smithsonian recently announced it will honor An and her family in May with a Pioneer Award in Culinary Arts, recognizing her as “the mother of fusion cuisine” and “the first to introduce Vietnamese cuisine to mainstream America, changing American palates forever.” Some of An’s daughters have held management roles in the family enterprise, which includes two other Southern California restaurants , two San Francisco restaurants and a catering operation.
My dream was not to become a restaurateur. My dream was not becoming a celebrity chef. My dream was to survive and take care of my children.Teenage daughter Elizabeth suggested taking out newspaper ads offering free food. The ads were paid for in part by a second mortgage on the An family home. It was a risky strategy given that money was tight. “We did free food for one week,” An said. That piqued the interest of a local food critic, who understood he was witnessing something new.
When she thinks about how driven her family is to succeed, Helene An points to family expectations born generations ago in Vietnam. “As an An, you are a custodian of the last name. You have a duty to those who wore it before you and those who will wear it after you, to make sure it means something we can all be proud of.”Some chefs can be mercurial, even frightening to the kitchen staff, but that isn’t An’s style. “You encourage, never insult,” An said. “I encourage them to try something new.
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