“When they like us, I know they love us.”

What makes a good banh mi?

The bread. The bread, the meat, it all has to come together. The bread has to be crunchy outside but still soft inside, not hard, not hurting your mouth. But the meat is important too. That's why we're so proud of our pork: it's flavorful. A lot of Vietnamese places, people just order combo. But when people come in, we always say try the BBQ pork. The combination between the bread and the meat, that's a good sandwich. Light jalapeño. Cilantro. Everything combined makes a good sandwich.

What's the difference between a French baguette and a Vietnamese baguette?

A French baguette is longer and thinner. And it's harder on the outside. This is softer. It's still crunchy, but it's softer. When people eat what they think is Vietnamese bread, they're usually eating more of a French baguette. They keep saying it's hard, it's hard. That's more French baguette.

Tell me about the bread — were you taught by your parents?

No, no, no. I had to send my parents to Vietnam to learn how to make bread. My dad is the one who makes it. When he came back, for six months we couldn't get it right. Everything blank. Ingredients changed, tools changed, weather — everything is different. You can't buy ingredients from Vietnam and ship them here. You have to buy them here. The weather in Vietnam is humid. The humidity makes a lot of difference. Even now, some days it's too cold and we can't make it right.

The first six months, what was that like?

Every day we threw away 50, 60 loaves. We couldn't get it right. I'd give it to customers for free, and people would come in and say, "oh, perfect, just open it." But to me, no. It's not good enough for me to open.

So your dad makes the bread, are you the main one who cooks?

I cook, but I don't like cooking. My mom does most of it. Trust me. I love to eat. That's why good food, fresh food, is really important to me. I grew up eating fresh food from my mom. Every day we cook and eat fresh, nothing sitting around. That's why we want customers to have the same experience at CôNu's. We make food fresh to order. If I wasn't doing this, I'd just go around and review places. Because I'm very picky.

What's the correct way to prepare takeout pho?

You heat up the broth in a pot. You don't put the broth and noodles together and heat them up, or microwave it. It's gonna be soggy. Just heat up the broth. Then you put the pho in a bowl, the meat on top, and pour the soup over it.

I had a customer email me that he loves our food so much, he made instructions for me. Step by step. He said I'm welcome to use it. He'd put my logo on it if I wanted. He's a graphic designer.

Why open a restaurant in the first place?

When I first came to the US and went to college, I always dreamed about having my own shop. A coffee shop. Something I owned. To be my own boss. Honestly I was more interested in the sweet side — dessert, bakery. I was about to go to Vietnam to take a class, all the sweetness. But then I got pregnant in 2020. I couldn't go anymore.

You wanted to own your own thing. What's different about the reality?

When I first thought about owning my own thing, I figured I'd be a manager. I'm not going to be here doing all the work. I'm going to manage the restaurant. Maybe I do the recipes, but I keep the big things. I'd have employees to do the work, and I'd just run the business. But look at me now. Quit the job, here every day. Doing all the prep, all the banh mi, everything. It's all on me. And I don't even have time for my son anymore. Every day he says, "everybody has a mom, but I don't." I tell him, you have a mom. But he means everybody has a mom to pick them up from school. I can only pick him up one day.

Has anything been rewarding that you didn't expect?

I'm proud of myself. Before, I was more about enjoying my life. I love to travel. Before the shop, we went to Vietnam every year. Whenever I wanted to go somewhere, I just went. Now I can't. A lot of responsibility. But I'm proud of myself for opening the shop. We have a lot of loyal customers. People who like us, they really like us. People who don't, nothing I can do. But when they like us, I know they love us. There are customers who were here when it was still a store, and they're still here now, for the food. A lot of customers have become my friends. And we got Westword's best banh mi 2025.

What's it like working with your parents?

Even though they work for me, they're still my parents. There's a lot I can't control. A lot I can't tell them. That's another stress. There are things I don't like but I can't really say anything. Work is work, but they're still your parents. Especially in Asian culture, it's hard. The elders, you respect your elders.

Best city for Vietnamese food?

Orange County. Texas is good too, Houston. But to me, Orange County is better. Some people like Houston better, but I grew up in Da Nang City, in the middle of Vietnam. Orange County’s food reminds me more of home.

What do you do to relax?

I spend money. I love to eat, like I keep saying. I eat out a lot. I've tried almost all the Michelin restaurants. I love trying new places, new small businesses. I try them all, I support them. And spend money on whatever I like.