Mai Nguyen left her homeland of Vietnam as child with her family in 1982, settling in California as refugees.
But 16 years later, as a successful restaurant entrepreneur, she returned to Southeast Asia to visit relatives. There, she saw a wooden-stilt house for the first time and fell in love with its architecture. She knew that look would be perfect for her "dream restaurant."
"I was so excited," she said smiling. "I wanted to pack it up and bring it back with me."
So, a decade later, she did.
Nguyen and her co-owner and husband, Sean Dang, bought three stilt houses -- they might be at least 200 years old -- in Vietnam, and had them disassembled, packed up and delivered to Utah. The unusual structures now are set up in what will become her dream restaurant's Asian-themed courtyard with a pond. It will be called Sapa, and it's all under construction at 722 S. State St., just north of Sears.
"I always wanted something different … Something other people don't have."
Nguyen, the eldest of seven kids, said she comes from generations of eatery entrepreneurs, including relatives who still have restaurants in Vietnam. She's an interior designer who started opening restaurants and selling them in 1992 in Oakland, Calif., with her mother, Linda. She also has owned eateries in Oregon and Washington.
In fall 2007, Nguyen and Dang opened Pho Green Papaya restaurant, an affordable sit-down noodle house, in diverse West Valley City.
For their second spot, they said they wanted a unique, cultural restaurant in the state's capital -- which is unlike most big cities that have districts such as a "Chinatown."
"We'd like to bring something vibrant to Salt Lake City," Dang said.
To do that, she imported the restaurant's antique-looking wooden front door from China. She plans to train her cooks for 45 days before opening. She declined to talk much about the family-recipe-based menu, only saying it would include sushi and exotic and vegetarian dishes.
Above all, she wants Sapa to be affordable.
"I'd rather it be busy than exclusive," she said.
What » Sapa, a proposed Asian-fusion restaurant
Where » 722 S. State St., north of Sears and next to Burt's Tiki Club.
Construction started » September 2008
Proposed opening » June
What to expect » An upscale eatery with reasonable prices. It will hold about 130 people. The Asian-themed courtyard -- with three Vietnamese stilt houses and a pond -- will be available for special events and will hold up to 300 guests.
For information » call Mai Nguyen at 801-706-0993.
Why the name? » "Sapa" is a farming town in northwest Vietnam near the China border. The subtropical mountainous area is known for its diversity of Asian communities living together, including Vietnamese, Thai and Chinese, Nguyen said.
