Pho King at "Papaya"

CC: How did you get the idea to create Papaya?

Chinh Vu: Ten years ago, we saw that there weren’t many Vietnamese restaurants available and there was a hole in the food industry pertaining to Vietnamese cuisine. We saw a need for a restaurant that would introduce original, home-cooked style dishes to the Eastside and hence, the first Papaya was born in 1997. Our dream to create a welcoming atmosphere for the customer while serving quality food became a reality!

CC: How is business different from your first year at Crossroads to today?

Chinh Vu: When we started Papaya ten years ago, people weren’t familiar with Vietnamese food. Pho was a mystery to the average person and ordering it felt complicated. Today, we are seeing an incredible growth in business! People order exactly what they want. They are beginning to see that the minimal use of oil, and treatment of meat as a condiment rather than a main course, shows that Vietnamese food is one of the healthiest foods on the planet. Today, we are seeing customers traveling thirty to forty minutes for our special dishes and our homemade soups.

CC: What is your favorite food at Papaya?

Chinh Vu: Although we enjoy all the different aspects of our menu, the Pho is our favorite comfort food.

CC: What are the best, and the most difficult, things about running Papaya?

Chinh Vu: The best thing about running Papaya is the staff. We have a loyal group of individuals that have been with us for at least eight years.  The most challenging aspect of running Papaya is including a large variety of traditional foods, as a full sized restaurant would, in a smaller and open kitchen.

CC: We would love to know how you make your Beef Pho.

Chinh Vu: The secret to making a fabulous Pho broth takes time and detailed attention. One pot of broth may take hours to create. We use real beef bones that have been the secret in drawing and keeping our customers throughout the years.

CC: Any heartwarming anecdote about your association with Crossroads that you'd like to share with the readers?

Chinh Vu: The most heartwarming part of running this restaurant came in the form of a hand-knit baby blanket from a loyal customer when we were expecting our first child! We get a large number of repeat customers. None of this would have been possible without tremendous support from Ron Sher, the Crossroads management team, and especially from our family.

Today, we are operating two locations and working to open the third location later this year. We are honored to have met so many wonderful, caring people and we look forward to many more years of building relationships within our community.