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We talk to the minds behind Chow Yum Phat’s addictive ramen bowls

Try to pin down the culinary style of Asian street food booth Chow Yum Phat, and its proprietors chuckle.

“We pay homage to the traditional, but we give it our own twist,” says Vu Le, who goes by the nickname “Phat.” “There are Japanese, Vietnamese, Chinese and Korean influences, but there are no rules, and it’s supposed to be fun. Basically, we cook what we like to eat.”

Le founded the concept, with a name inspired by Hong Kong actor Chow Yun-fat. The chef, who got his start in his family’s New Orleans grocery and deli, signed on to a booth at White Star Market when the food hall was still under development.

A few months before White Star Market opened in June, Le asked his friend Jordan Ramirez to become his business partner. Ramirez had been working at Iverstine Butcher and hosting pop-up dinners. He was also manufacturing his own hot sauce, Southern Wild, at the LSU AgCenter Food Incubator. The two had met years earlier when they both worked at Tsunami.

Now that the Government Street food hall is open, business for Chow Yum Phat has been better than anticipated.

Read on for the full story from the August 2018 issue.