After fleeing Vietnam as a child with his family, Duc Pham learned to cook by watching his mother prepare food for his eight siblings. His restaurant, Blossom A Vietnamese Noodle Shop, is now going on 23 years in Los Angeles and eight years at its Santa Monica location.
A lover of poetry, music, wine, people and food, Pham said that Blossom contains everything he would ever want to share with his dearest friends.
“What I want people to get from our restaurant is just hospitality. We want everybody to have a good time,” Pham said. “I’ve been collecting music since age seven. So what you hear is my playlist. What you see are my selections that I’ve gone to wineries to taste and to bring back – my research. And that's just a beautiful life journey.”
One key to maintaining the quality of his food, Pham said, is simplicity. By serving only about five main dishes, including pho, Vietnamese buns, salads and spring rolls, he said his kitchen is able to consistently deliver on guests’ expectations. But more than anything, Pham said he challenges his staff to continuously learn and improve everyday no matter how repetitive the work becomes.
“It’s a duty unto ourselves to stay abreast and keep it fresh everyday,” he said. “See yourself serving yourself.”
And one main way Pham hopes to show his guests hospitality is through Blossom’s wine program. Around three years ago, Blossom expanded into the space next door to open Blossom and Friends – a Vietnamese cafe by day and a wine bar by night. Pham said he was initially inspired to expand the wine in his restaurant after seeing the way that food, wine and tea brought people together at his original downtown L.A. location.
“I remember I was on the wok and I was cooking, and we were busy, and customers were ordering beer,” he said. “And I realized, ‘Oh my god, what a beautiful thing. I can really get into learning about wine.’ And then I was like, ‘Wait a minute, I love tea. I can really get into tea.’ So, all these things are just little treasures you pick up along the way, and it’s just made life just so much more enjoyable and beautiful. So why would you not share that?”
Pham said he is proud to contribute to the diverse culinary landscape of Los Angeles, a place he has called home since 1992. To truly inspire and give the product the attention it deserves, Pham said he has taken his staff all around the world – to Paris and Napa Valley to learn about wine, to Noma in Copenhagen to eat at what is commonly considered the best restaurant in the world.
After 23 years in the business, Pham said he still looks forward each day to the challenges of restaurant work, and still enjoys pitching in by washing dishes. On one August afternoon, he spoke about his excitement of picking up the finest quality tea he could find and driving it over to his restaurant for his customers to enjoy.
“I only serve and sell what I myself would enjoy,” he said.
Blossom A Vietnamese Noodle Shop is located at 2821 Ocean Park Blvd. Blossom and Friends is located next door.
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By SAM MULICK