Community News

MINH'S IS SERVING UP VIETNAMESE FAMILY FAVOURITES

JOHN EDWARDS jedwards@simcoe.com

For 26 years, Minh Le was a banker.

Born in Vietnam but raised in Toronto, Le worked with other small business owners and helped them achieve their dreams.

"I had a good job," he said.

Le along with his wife and daughter have been spending weekends at their townhome in Collingwood for the better part of a decade as his daughter loves skiing and swimming.

"We would come up on Saturday, go home on Sunday,

that's a tradition for us," he said.

Le has always had a love for food and cooking, learning from his mother since he was a young boy.

"I love her cooking," he said.

During the lockdown, while working from home, his daughter jokingly said he should open a restaurant and bring some of his mother's recipes to the people of Collingwood.

"It wasn't a joke for me, I took her seriously," he said.

Le found a location at 14 Balsam St., quit his job and spent five months renovating before opening on Sept. 11, 2021.

"I had a good job and I never thought I would do something like this," he said. "My wife thought I was crazy."

Le said while many Vietnamese restaurants feature hundreds of items, he prefers "quality over quantity."

The menu includes several varieties of Pho, a traditional rice noodle soup, as well as broken rice plates and Vermicelli noodle dishes.

Le said his spring rolls are some of the best you'll find "in the universe," and his chicken wings have rapidly become his most popular item.

"We use a lot of herbs. Garlic, basil, ginger, especially the soup, we use a lot of herbs for it," he said. "It

hits the spot."

He said the response has been positive and he's built up a strong clientele of both locals and tourists.

"When I opened this up ... the lineup was crazy," he said.

Le is now planning to open a second location in Owen Sound.

"I have so many customers from there, they come here once a week to have my food," he said.

FOOD AND DRINK

en-ca

2023-03-23T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-03-23T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://communitynews.pressreader.com/article/281582359876209

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