My earliest memory in our kitchen was standing on a blue plastic milk crate, barely reaching the sink, washing the dishes. In those days, bringing your child to work meant your child would work. I studied my mom, mentally taking notes on how she created her recipes without ever officially measuring anything, claiming it was the “Vietnamese way of cooking.” In her 20s and only 90lbs, her dedication amazed me as she worked non-stop, 7 days a week. Controlling the kitchen came naturally to her and I think somehow as the years passed—through osmosis—it transferred to me. Since I started running the restaurant in 1996, I often get asked what has kept us open all these years. In my head, I think of answers like dedication and hard work, but my reply has always been…EGG ROLLS—the foundation of our restaurant. We have used the same recipe for over 40 years, never skipping any steps, maintaining the integrity of our famous dish. To this day, I still peel carrots and cut onions by hand in addition to grinding our pork in house to prepare each batch. However, I finally have a measured recipe for the seasoning (don’t tell my mom).

As I watch my children help me and my wife in the kitchen at Que Viet, I secretly wonder which one of them will follow in my mom and my footsteps. I take pride as we grow from a small family restaurant, to our famous egg rolls being an item at Que Viet Concessions, one of the top vendors at the Minnesota The State Fair. It has to be from our dedication and hard work. (Just kidding, it is mostly from the egg rolls.) Really, the egg roll is the epitome of dedication and hard work. I promise never to change that recipe at Que Viet or any of our future ventures.

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