GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — As kids, we always dreamed of what life would be like when we left home. We found ourselves fantasizing of the freedom that waited on the other side.
For many of us, though, no matter how far away we got, home always seemed to work its way back.
With his family still halfway around the world, Phong Nguyen found his home again in the kitchen.
“I missed my mom's food," he told FOX 17. "So I've been cooking more since I came to America and it is going from there.”
Nguyen grew up more than 8,000 miles away from West Michigan in Hai Duong, Vietnam. Ten years ago, he decided it was time for a change.
“In 2012, I went to an agency in Vietnam," he said. "They showed us a book of American universities and stuff. I opened a bunch of them, and Grand Valley chose me.”
From the Land of the Blue Dragon to the Land of the Blue Lakes.
Nguyen came to West Michigan to study business at Grand Valley State University. A fresh start in a new city.
After two years in the program, he felt something was missing. He hadn't found his calling, yet.
So he went back to his roots.
"My mom is a great cook," Nguyen explained. "My dad had a business in Vietnam. He always brought his business partner to our house so my mom could cook for them and make delicious food. So that's always like, you know, a lot of memory with food around for family. That's the best thing you can do."
Nguyen cultivated his culinary craft as a private chef during the pandemic. That's where he really noticed how his cooking affected others.
“They want to see us cooking," he said. "They want to see us prepping. They want to see how their food is prepared. And that prep time is undervalued. You know, a lot of people don't value that.”
Nguyen loved connecting with his clients, but instead of going into their homes, he wanted to create one of his own.
In June 2022, that vision came to life with Monsoon.
"I told my dad, 'I want to open a restaurant one day.' Then he said, 'We'll see.' Because I never cooked in Vietnam. My mom and my dad, they just didn't believe it at that time. I mean, my mom and my dad literally almost like didn't want to talk to me for like three months because I decided to be cooking. It's not a good job in Vietnam, or even really in America....My parents didn't want that for me. They want to bring the best education for me, but I chose (to be a chef) and then I loved it. So they respected that."
Nguyen proved to himself, and his parents, he made the right decision when Monsoon opened its doors.
"They were really proud," he said. "They (were) really, really proud actually. I'm just happy with how it looked and, just, I want to bring the culture here.”
Monsoon is the first Vietnamese restaurant in downtown Grand Rapids.
Nguyen knew he wanted to keep the open kitchen concept that worked so well as a private chef.
Still, for him, it was about more than just creating a familiar space for himself. He wanted to bring other people into his world, and introduce them to his culture.
"Sometimes I tear up because how beautiful it is," he said with a smile. "Also, I teared up because how much work I have put in. So happy. That's why it's just, like, it's worth it, you know. It's just, like, the whole process you have to go through (for) so many years. Finally, something that, like, can impact people.”