Khanh Huynh didn’t grow up dreaming of owning a restaurant. She came to Reno from Vietnam in the late 1990s with her mother and her brother to build a new life from scratch. She went to hair school, a practical choice, but cooking and creating always pulled at her. Life brought marriage and motherhood, and some hard times—challenges learning English, people judging her, her mother’s illness and passing, and financial struggles. She said there were times when she simply wanted to walk away from everything—but she stayed with it. She and her husband opened La Mint in 2019, and now it is a successful restaurant. She wishes her mom was alive to see it. Pho La Mint is located at 770 S. Meadows Parkway, No. 101, in Reno. Go to www.pholamint.com.
What’s the best thing you’ve eaten locally in the last month?
Steamed clams at Edelweiss—(they were) pretty good size and fresh. My husband and his friends are big fans of the old fashioneds, too…