Welcome to Mama’s Pho House, where every bowl of food is a testament to a journey of resilience, love, and hope. Our story begins in the midst of the Vietnam War, where a young girl named Nga, born of an African American soldier and a Vietnamese mother, faced a life marked by both hardship and opportunity.

From the age of 15, Nga’s mornings began before dawn. Every day, she went to the market to gather fresh ingredients, come home, cook meals, pack them, carry them on a wooden bar across her back hunched over just enough so it would stay in place as she would venture out into the streets to sell them. Any profit she made went to feeding her entire family; mom, step dad and siblings. In a life of poverty, her cooking was not just a means to survive but a profound act of love and dedication. Her days were long, sometimes stretching until late into the night. Through this hardship, Nga found a deep love and passion for cooking. She dreamed that one day she could go to America and open her own restaurant but it seemed too far out of reach. 

Until one day in 1982, the Ameriasian Immigrant Act passed and Nga received a life-changing letter from America. She was offered a chance to start a new life in the West. The road to her dream was paved with paperwork, patience and persistence. In 1988, she embarked on her journey, spending as a year as a refugee in the Phillipines before finally arriving in America in 1989.

Today, Mama’s Pho House is more than just a restaurant. It is a realization of a young girl’s dream, born from her tireless effort and boundless love. It is the embodiment of her life long passion for cooking. Each dish is a tribute to her resilience and unwavering love for cooking. 

Every meal is an invitation to a piece of history, art and heart. 

May each dish you eat be your own celebration of overcoming challenges and rising again.

Join us at Mama’s Pho House and taste the love, and the triumph in every bite.

Her name may be Nga but you can call her Mama.

Nga has three children and one grand child who she loves to cook for when they visit.