Inspired tastes

One week after Viet-Thai Taste opened its doors for the fist time, owner Theresa Hoang was spending the lunch hour cooking food orders and managing her small kitchen staff from her designated spot between the stove and the cutting board. For the next hour or so, she would hardly ever move away from this spot. Customers filled the lobby. Tickets were piling up.

Hoang’s movements were quick and precise, possibly even frantic. Ladles and other cooking utensils became extensions of her arm. When she shouted the next order, her workers did not respond with words, but, rather, with action. One carefully rolled noodles, veggies and shrimp into fresh spring rolls. Another tossed chicken wings into a fryer and readied noodles in a wok.

“This is crazy, right?” Hoang said during service.

Hours earlier, Hoang told Newton News the response from the community has been largely positive and she has appreciated the overwhelming support for the restaurant. Especially since Viet-Thai’s menu is unlike any other eatery in Newton’s downtown district. Hoang had a feeling her dishes with primarily Vietnamese, Laotian and Thai flavors could be tough sells.

However, Hoang’s traditional menu of larb (a type of meat salad), pad thai (stir-fry rice noodle dish), pho (Vietnamese soup) and bánh mì (a savory and sour sandwich filled with meat and pickled veggies) has been crafted in such a way that it would appeal to Newton’s more Midwestern palates. Keeping that in mind, Hoang kept recipes basic yet flavorful and served in a homestyle way.

“It’s my own style, my own tastes,” Hoang said. “It’s not originally what Mom and Dad used to cook.”

Still, all of the food at Viet-Thai are dishes Hoang said could be found in her kitchen. Geographically speaking, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand are very close to each other, and Hoang said there is some overlap in flavors. But there are some distinct differences in cuisine between the three regions. One region may prefer another type of ingredient over another, or favor different flavors.

Hoang said, “Vietnamese people like more (things) steamed and have everything fresh, like raw veggies. Lao and Thai have more herbs and (have) lots of mint, lemongrass, lime leaf and basil. And they like really thick, flat noodles. Vietnamese people like the thin noodles. Thai and Lao like more sweet (food). Vietnamese people like more ... we’re more about fish sauce.”

At first, Hoang said it felt odd to open a restaurant like Viet-Thai in a place like Newton, when it might make more sense to seek a space in the city. But Hoang said the support and encouragement from others helped solidify her stance to take a shot at it. To see others enjoying her food makes her even happier, she said.

Before moving to the United States, Hoang lived in Vietnam for some time. Her parents are both from a small village in Tai Dam, which is located northwest of the three countries whose is cuisine is featured in her restaurant. Hoang has been cooking since age 6. Of course, back then the food she made in her youth was much simpler and made with few ingredients.

“We were poor, so we just steamed vegetables,” Hoang said. “No meat, no nothing. When I came to America, I was 14, and I worked for this restaurant when I was 16. It was a Vietnamese restaurant. I was waitressing and had to peek into the kitchen. I started cooking there at 17. First thing I cooked was pho. Worked with them for about three years.”

From there, Hoang opened her own restaurant; Viet-Thai is her third restaurant she has opened. It’s been 10 years since Hoang worked in a restaurant’s kitchen. What’s it feel like to be back? “Oh my god,” she said with a laugh. She remembered all the hard work that goes into running a restaurant. But there is a saving grace: it’s fun for Hoang.

Viet-Thai Taste operates out of an old county garage building, 208 S. Second Ave. W., which was purchased and remodeled by Goldfinch Growth, Inc. The local real estate developer pitched to the Jasper County Board of Supervisors its idea of transforming the old, relatively unused building into a bar or restaurant for the downtown district. Renovations met historic requirements.

Prior to opening the restaurant, Hoang held a celebratory feast to bring good luck. This opened up a small window into Hoang’s life, family and culture, and she hopes Viet-Thai accomplishes the same thing. Hoang said she wants people to see how she and her family express their culture; food, she acknowledged, can be a gateway into other cultures.

“Every culture has a different flavor, and I want them to know that this is from Laos or Thailand or Vietnam,” she said. “Food is food.”

Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext. 6560 or cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com