Day 165: Thanh Long, San Francisco, California

📌APIA Every Day (165) - Thanh Long, situated in San Francisco, California, is one of the Bay Area's earliest Vietnamese restaurants. Established in 1971 by Diana An, a Vietnamese immigrant, the restaurant was originally purchased as an Italian deli in the Outer Sunset upon her arrival in the U.S. Following the fall of Saigon, the rest of the An family joined her and lived together in Diana’s one-bedroom apartment above the deli. Initially serving Italian cuisine, the menu gradually integrated Vietnamese-inspired dishes once Diana’s daughter-in-law, Helene An, took charge of the kitchen. Within a year, Helene learned English, became a CPA, and balanced accounting during the day while managing the deli at night. Around 1978, she created the restaurant's signature garlic noodles, blending French, European, and Vietnamese influences into a unique "Euro-Asian" fusion. This evolution led to the transformation of the Italian deli into the notable Thanh Long restaurant.

The restaurant gained prominence in the 1980s for its seafood offerings, drawing a diverse clientele that included celebrities like Robin Williams and Danny Glover. Building on Thanh Long’s success, the An family expanded their culinary ventures with Crustacean, first in San Francisco and later in Beverly Hills. These ventures marked milestones in introducing high-end Vietnamese fusion cuisine to a global audience. Just before the pandemic, Chef Helene An, along with Elizabeth An and granddaughter Bosilika An, launched Da Lat Rose, aiming to showcase authentic Vietnamese flavors and provide a platform for young chefs to reimagine traditional dishes.

In May 2019, Chef Helene An received the Pioneer Award in Culinary Arts from the Smithsonian Institute. This prestigious honor was presented during the first-ever Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center celebration, recognizing her significant contributions to culinary arts, particularly in introducing and popularizing Vietnamese flavors in mainstream American cuisine.

LEARN MORE:

KQED: How Garlic Noodles Became One of the Bay Area’s Most Iconic Foods

The San Francisco Standard: The secret origin of Thanh Long’s beloved Vietnamese garlic noodles

EATER: Selling Garlic Noodles to the Rich and Famous

Forbes: How Chef Helene An’s Famous Garlic Noodles Evolved Into A Gen-Z Favorite With NOODS

Crustacean Beverly Hills: THE STORY OF AN

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