“Every summer my grandfather would tell me that I should open a Vietnamese restaurant in the United States. “Americans will love it!”, he used to say. After college I was meant to enter law school but instead told my parents I wanted to open a restaurant.

After working around the world, I eventually ended up in New York City, and then Miami. One thing I can tell you; I was blessed with the experience I got and the chefs I worked with in New York, but I left in 2014 during a huge blizzard and found myself in Miami, 75 degrees, with a consulting job in a hotel, I was a lucky man.

Everyone welcomed me with open arms in Miami. New York is a big place, and there is a great community, but despite my international travels, I’d never found myself in a place like this before. Here, in the industry, everyone is incredibly supportive of one another, – it isn’t just about ego. I decided that this was the place for me to finally open my first restaurant. I found a place open in a food hall, and I took it. I named my restaurant after my grandfather; Tran An.

I’ve been working on my second location since July of last year but I never anticipated that I would open in the middle of Covid-19. I’ve been taking the time to analyze what consumers and other restauranteurs have been doing in reaction to all this. I think my business will do alright. We already started bottling our sauces last year, we’re strong on deliveries and we have a pick-up window for people to order from without coming inside. I feel fortunate to have set up an easily adaptable concept to face the storm we’re all finding ourselves in.

This place was built to serve the community. Whether you’re familiar with our cuisine or know nothing about it, I want you to come in and feel at home. Our food, employees, company culture and even our design was created to be an inclusive and inviting space.”