Whether it鈥檚 a taste of Vietnamese cuisine or a plate of soul food, chef and owner of Flowers of Vietnam, George Azar, and Executive Chef of SavannahBlue, Chris McClendon, agree that creating good food is all about exploration.
Chris McClendon: You were raised in Detroit. Why did you want to open your restaurant here?
George Azar: I left and came back and left and came back, but always knew I wanted to do something here. I identify with the surroundings. It鈥檚 home.
CM: Conceptually, do you feel like you鈥檝e done everything you can with Flowers of Vietnam? Is there something else you鈥檙e interested in exploring?听
GA: If you鈥檙e not growing, you鈥檙e dying. I never want to be boxed into a certain genre or way of doing things. There鈥檚 only ever going to be one Flowers of Vietnam, but I wouldn鈥檛 mind working on Mexican food. I just want to make the things that I crave and that I hope other people will crave.
CM: You hit the nail on the head. I wanted to go all the way left because, as an African-American, people expect me to do Southern food. We鈥檙e Southern-inspired, but it鈥檚 a different cuisine all on its own. Did you feel like you had a lot going against you by opening a Vietnamese spot in Mexicantown?
GA: Vietnamese food is a lot like Mexican food as far as the flavor profiles go. I put chicken wings on the menu because I knew people needed something familiar. If they like the wings, they鈥檒l trust me to try other stuff on the menu. I want to be able to educate the people that walk through my door.
鈥擜s told to Jordan Jewell
Take a Bite
Flowers of Vietnam, 4430 Vernor Hwy., Detroit, ;听SavannahBlue, 1431 Times Sq., Detroit,
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