Qui Tran is a first generation Vietnamese-American born of refugees who escaped the conflict of the Vietnamese-Cambodian war and communism in the 70s. He was born in Covington, Kentucky but grew up in the surrounding areas of Cincinnati, Ohio where his parents sought to build him a better life; a life that did not involve the poverty and the struggles that they had to experience themselves. As he grew older, despite his parents’ efforts in providing a life of “comfort,” there was always a feeling of displacement - no community to call his own. At school he wasn’t American enough, and at home or at church, he wasn’t Vietnamese enough. For years he struggled with his identity and a place to call home. Eventually, in the second half of his 20s, it became a period of rediscovery. Against his parents’ wishes, he traveled back to the motherland to meet his last living grandparent. He was immersed in a culture that was both familiar yet still foreign. As far as he could tell, he was still seen as an outsider by many. And so, the feeling of displacement came back. Now, as a food enthusiast, he wants to share his experiences through food. “Khổng dung” is a phrase in Vietnamese meaning “not right” or “incorrect.” It’s a phrase that symbolizes how Qui lives: a life of unconventionality and pushing against the grain. The “khổng dung” menu isn’t exactly traditional or authentic Vietnamese, but instead it’s unapologetically itself while trying to respect the essence of Qui's unique heritage and the beautiful things that can be born that can be born from the "not right."
15% of proceeds will be donated to Axis Lab, a community engagement and arts organization based in the Argyle Street community of Chicago. Axis Lab engages in arts, educational programming, urban design, culinary curating, and other advocacies for ethical development for immigrant and refugees.
*We ask that guests are required to wear a mask when not consuming food or beverage.