Our story

Chef Ly (Lee) was born in Hanoi, Vietnam. At the age of 14, during the Vietnam war he fled by boat on the South China Sea. The boat was made by older brother to escape. It carried 80 people from their home town to Guangzhou, Canton. It took two months of facing treacherous waters and weather conditions. They survived by eating rice, sardines and bread. They used the rain for drinking water, but it was very salty and hard to drink. They tried to ration their only resources, but ran out of food and starved for 7 days. Fighting to stay alive, holding on to the dream of a new life, they arrived at the province of Guangdong (Canton). As refugees they were taken by hostile conditions to a concentration camp in Hong Kong.

Determined to survive, Chuong Ly was thankfully sponsored to work in a local restaurant as a food prep. He was mesmerized with the head Chef and his presentation of the plates. His passion evolved quickly as he learned how to use a knife and the wok properly and learned the art of authentic Chinese cooking. He then became the youngest Chef for a famous restaurant in Hong Kong. Chef Ly says “food gives people life” and he wants to share that with the world. His 40 years of experience and the dream of opening a place where families re-connectt with each other to share a warm meal and eat together has come true. He’s humbled to serve the families in the desert for 16 years and counting.