Vietnamese cuisine is my passion, and I was eager to learn more about it from Chef Vince Nguyen in Portland, Oregon through the Ment’or grant stage. At Berlu, he elevates, twists, and puts a lot of new thought into the cuisine. He also runs a Vietnamese bakery, and I have a special love for Vietnamese pastry. I also learned how tough, but rewarding, it is to run a small business like Berlu.
I found Berlu by researching Vietnamese restaurants in the U.S. I immediately decided to choose Berlu for my stage after learning that Chef Vince started Berlu as a pop-up restaurant, which resonated strongly with me. Before my stage at Berlu, I was doing pop-up Vietnamese comfort food in D.C. Plus, Portland is a super cool food city with many fresh and locally grown markets. In my opinion, it is one of the best food cities in the U.S.
On my first day in Portland, Chef Vince welcomed me by picking me up at the airport and taking me to dinner at a local Thai restaurant, where I had the best Pad See Ew. We talked about how Berlu started and his experiences; it turned out that Chef Vince also staged at many restaurants worldwide, such as Noma, Coi, and Six Penny.
Chef Vince scheduled me to work at Berlu restaurant four days a week and one day at Berlu Bakery, which is open every Sunday at the same spot. This schedule was ideal for me to learn how the whole business ran.
On my first day at Berlu, I met Syrus and Jake, the two cooks. Jake also did the dishes at night. I was shocked that the Chef was able to run a 12 course tasting menu with only two cooks to help him. Not only that, but Chef Vince also personally went to the market to buy vegetables and seafood products. The only product that got delivered was caviar. I was also super impressed with how well organized and efficient the team was as they maneuvered around the small space, which was less than 50 SF. At the Bakery, there was Denise, the main pastry cook, and Ava, who supported the bakery project for two days on the weekend.
I have to admit, my first week at Berlu was tough as it was a massive struggle for me to work cleanly and tidily in such a small space. I had never worked in a restaurant as small as Berlu and had little experience in tasting menu restaurants. It was initially hard for me to get comfortable, and my ability to adapt to new spaces was lacking. However, Chef Vince and the team were very kind and patient with my mistakes. As I got more experience, I found myself immensely enjoying all the tasks the Chef gave me. I tried my best to go through every job faster and do better every day to earn the Team’s trust so Chef Vince would give me more responsibilities. On my second week there, I had one of my best memories of the stage; one of the cooks called in sick, so I did his prep work during the day and dishes during services.
I blended into the team very quickly, as if I had worked there for a long time. Besides working at the restaurant and bakery, Chef Vince took me to the woods for chanterelle hunting with his wife and Benny (his cute little dog). Chef also took the Team and me to eat around Portland; we celebrated a little bit on Saturday nights. One the last day of my stage, which happened to be New Year's, the Chef took us ice skating and for a good-bye meal at a Vietnamese restaurant.
I learned so many things at Berlu in just two months. We counted everything we made, every piece of cut vegetable, even a tiny cut of herb. I learned how food doesn't have to be precise but can be when you put it on the dish; it turns out picturesque and makes so much sense when everything blends. One of my favorite projects was punching beet, quince, pear, turnips, mint, and betel leaf for a dish that included persimmon coconut cream, ginger tea, lemongrass oil, and bay leaves oil. It was super refreshing, nuanced, and harmonized when everything was blended together. I gained a new mindset about nuanced flavor, that you can taste everything, every single ingredient, in a dish. It is hard to describe, but Chef Vince somehow lets each component speak its language in your mouth.
But, the most important thing I learned during my stage at Berlu was a sense of self-worth. I improved my precision, cleanliness, confidence, and efficiency. The way Chef Vince pushed hard every day, creating new dishes and changing ideas every week, was incredibly motivating for me as a young chef.
