Dish It Up: Immigrants have a lot to contribute

June 10, 2019 4:40 PM PT

As a child of Vietnamese immigrants who owned a cafe in City Heights, Han Tran spent her childhood growing up around the restaurant industry. After desiring something more for herself and earning her Communications degree from University of California, San Diego, Tran gravitated back to the kitchen.

In 2003, Tran opened Ebisu Sushi in Hillcrest, then in February 2018, along with husband Jay Choy and business partners Lam Nguyen and Phuc Vo, she opened Shank and Bone in North Park.

Tran recently hung out with the founder of Facebook group Eating and Drinking in San Diego, Edwin Real, at the PACIFIC offices in downtown to record an episode of Dish It Up. During the 40 minute episode, Dish It Up’s 20th, the pair talked about:

Growing up around restaurants
What it means to be the child of immigrants
The melting pot of City Heights
Where to eat in City Heights
Evolution of San Diego’s dining scene
It isn’t about male or female, it’s more about hiring good people
Sushi chefs wear many hats: cook, entertainer, server
Vietnamese food in America
Appreciating the ethnic contributions to the San Diego dining scene
Creating a modern Vietnamese restaurant that Vietnamese people would eat at
Making food approachable to everybody, but staying legit
Everyone’s a critic

Dish It Up is a collaboration between PACIFIC and Facebook group EDSD.

Listen and subscribe to Dish It Up and sister podcast Kiss My Glass on Apple iTunes, Google Play and Soundcloud. And, if there’s something you want to hear about in an upcoming podcast, whether it be a food-related topic or specific guest, please feel free to let us know at lifescool@pacificsandiego.com.