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FAMILY FARE
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Many of us have developed our cooking styles from our mothers. My own Mum whirled about the kitchen like a sorceress, adding a pinch of this and a handful of that to gurgling pots, never actually measuring but somehow always getting it just right. Rainy days especially, were spent with my hands in a bowl of dough, flour on my nose, or sifting through bins of dried herbs, absorbing smells and Mum's singsong directions and praise. Years later, she's still present in the kitchen with me when I cook, though via the telephone or a collection of recipes that she scribbled in a handmade cookbook for an early-20s birthday gift.
The restaurant industry is a great manifestation of the unique relationship between mothers and |
| daughters and food, most especially in Asian establishments, where family and cultural roots are the key ingredients in any dish. Two favorites are on opposite U.S. coasts, but each restaurant exemplifies the harmony of family collaboration and the strength of the mother-daughter bond.
On the East Coast, Boston's The Elephant Walk showcases French and Cambodian cuisine, thanks to the mother-daughter team of Longteine and Nadsa de Monteiro. This marriage of Southeast Asian and European flavors is not an unusual one; Cambodia was a territory of France from the mid 1800s until 1953, and the de Monteiros, citizens of Phnom Penh, enjoyed a diet of cuisines from both cultures. When the city fell to the Khmer Rouge in 1975, the family became refugees, eventually relocating to France. It was there that Longteine opened her first restaurant, despite her lack of formal training in the kitchen. When the de Monteiros family moved to the United States, The Elephant Walk was born. Together, Longteine and Nadsa, who has studied cooking in France and the U.S., developed a menu of both traditional and original dishes that has garnered praise from both local and national critics.
The menu categorizes the dishes by influence (a la Francaise or a la Cambodgienne); popular dishes are "Amok Royal," a succulent, custard-type dish of shellfish and coconut milk, steamed in a banana leaf with vegetables and spices and "Canard a l'Orange," a variation on the classic French roast duck. The food is savory and thoughtfully spiced; the harmony of the ingredients clearly reflects the harmony between Longteine and Nadsa.
Family dynamic can make or break a business. A dinner table sibling spat can very quickly morph into an occupational blowout when work is at stake. The intricate, inherently loyal nature of mother/daughter relationships naturally lends itself to success.
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The An family on the West Coast has built quite a legacy for themselves, and a well-deserved one at that, thanks to their unbreakable family bond and their California restaurants; Crustacean (in Beverly Hills and San Francisco) and Thanh Long (in San Francisco). Daughter of the Vice Consul to the Vietnamese Emperor, Helene An's palate developed from a young age, partly because of the three chefs—one Vietnamese, one Chinese and one French—who worked for her family. When the Communist army invaded Saigon in 1975, Helene and her three young daughters—Hannah, Elizabeth and Monique—abandoned their privileged lifestyle. They fled to San Francisco, where Helene's mother-in-law was already operating Thanh Long—though the mom-and-pop nature of the restaurant eventually gave way to what is now a thriving and upscale culinary phenomenon.
Today, Helene—known affectionately as “Mama”—and her daughters, which now also include Jacqueline and Catherine, have crafted a fusion of Asian and European dishes such as Vietnamese crepes with prawns, chicken and squash, Royal Tiger prawns with garlic noodles, and whole, roasted Dungeness crab; all of which are considered family secrets. So secret, in fact, that each of the three An family restaurants has a “Secret Kitchen” that only An family members may enter. There, in Willie Wonka fashion, the An women recreate the cuisine that Helene enjoyed during her youth.
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Though the success of the business is important to Helene, the happiness of her daughters comes above and beyond all else. "The best part of my life is that I always have my children around me," she says, "The duty of the mother is to take care of the children. I always make sure that my children can choose the right things to be happy."
The youngest of Helene's daughters is now 27, but each of the An women regard their mother with the same respect and deference as they did as a little girl. " My mother has always been the strength of our family," says Elizabeth, now the CEO of all things An, "I'm inspired by how hard she works."
From the front of the house to the mysterious depths of the Secret Kitchen, Mama An and her daughters run their restaurants with efficiency and passion, characteristics that have elevated their food to a renowned status. Crustacean in Beverly Hills is a celebrity mecca, though fame hasn't changed the An family's dedication to stellar homemade cuisine, nor to each other. " We work as one," says youngest daughter Catherine, "We work as a family, not as individuals. At the end of the day, regardless of whether or not we agree or disagree, we all want what's best for the company. We trust each other."
Elizabeth echoes her sister's sentiment. "Together, as a family, you have a better chance to succeed," she says, "In a family business, you remember you're working as a team, not for individual interests or ego. You must put that aside if you want to have a successful business."
Food is a celebration of family and history, of culture and relationships, and sometimes, perseverance. Though not every restaurant is born from the ashes of a political revolution, and not every recipe is laden with secrecy, the foods our mothers introduced us to are often the most comforting, the most encouraging. The mother-daughter bond can exemplify strength, loyalty and sentiment, and lucky are we who can taste those things in our family recipes.
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