Yen IS Madame Vo, but as she and her husband, Jimmy told me, the name is to honor the other women in both of their lives. "We have even incorporated our mother's recipes into our menu. " Their mothers were born in South Vietnam, but Yen's parents were refugees, and she was born in Thailand before coming to the States when she was a baby. Yen grew up in Mississippi, while Jimmy was born here in the city. The two were introduced by mutual friends in New York. While Yen was involved in the fashion world, Jimmy always worked in the food industry. Combining their knowledge of retail and hospitality, the two decided to try their hand at opening their first restaurant. As they shared, "We wanted to offer something that we were use to eating our entire lives. " Surrounded by family at almost every meal growing up, Yen and Jimmy described a warm, loving environment with amazing food. "We grew up with aunts, grandmothers and other family members always gathered together and we had a feast. " One day the two decided that it was time for them to share their knowledge, passion, and recipes. "We had all the resources surrounding us. "After opening at the beginning of 2017, Yen admitted that it "all seems like a dream. " We could never find the Vietnam comfort food that we had both loved as children, and now we are able to offer this to our customers. "Noticing that almost every table was filled on a weekday afternoon towards the end of March, Yen told me that they are already finding that they have repeat customers. "When it's cold or rainy, they come back for their comfort food - our version of chicken soup. "
