San Francisco / California / United States
Nonetheless, Phans passion for food was ever present. Once in the United States each of Phans parents held two jobs so it became Charles role to cook for the family - ten in all including his aunt and uncle. His personal interest in flavor stemmed from his mothers cooking. Speaking fluent French, Mrs. Phans cooking knew no boundaries. Her French/Vietnamese cooking style consistently elevated simple Vietnamese peasant food to new levels. When time allowed, it wasnt unusual for her to make a simple spring roll numerous times, changing the sauce ever so slightly, perfecting the recipe for dinner. Charles followed her lead. Along with Vietnamese favorites, Charles was charmed by the American traditions, creating elaborate Thanksgiving and Christmas feasts. Throughout high school Phan bussed tables at The Coachman ( an English pub owned by the Scotts Seafood proprietors ), Mumms and Cafe Royale. As he became intrigued with cooking, Phan took notice of some of the more avante guarde Bay Area restaurants of the time and credits Chez Panisse and Zuni Caf for heavily influencing his food philosophy. After college, Phan took over the family garment business. While designing clothing for his store in Berkeley he stumbled over an opportunity to work in the software business and soon got drawn into the early 1990s Silicon Valley whirlwind. With an opportunity to continue selling software in Hong Kong, Charles opted to stay with his family in the Bay Area and attempted to open a small creperie in a Tenderloin hotel. When the owner found out the crepes were to be Vietnamese the deal was off so Charles and his family set out to open The Slanted Door. Tapping his design background, Phans vision for the original restaurant was to create a stylish ambiance for traditional Vietnamese cooking, keep an ingredient-driven menu that changed often and rely heavily on California eating savvy. Phan knew there was nothing in town that combined all of these elements within the Vietnamese category. Phan comments, Many of my staff thought I was crazy. I refused to cut any corners, use any bottled sauces or the typical Vietnamese crutch, MSG. Phan proved through the phenomenal success with the original Slanted Door that combining the Bay Areas sensibility for fresh ingredients with Vietnamese time-honored cooking techniques is a perfect marriage. Eight years later, showcasing farm fresh, local products, preparing everything from scratch and keeping a limited menu has put The Slanted Door on the cutting edge of Vietnamese cuisine in San Francisco.
