USA Through Food | Houston, Texas

Houston is a melting pot of all the cultures in the world. Anyone that comes to Houston wants to get barbecued because it's amazing but once they come here they realize there's so much more than barbecue. You would find Mexican and then you find Tex-Mex because there's an introduction of different cultures kind of merging together and you have Vietnamese and you might have Chinese fusion, Indian food, African food. I don't think that there is anywhere on the map that isn't covered in the city and so ultimately our diverse culture encourages us to be creative. When you come to Houston you definitely expect to see cowboys, no doubt. Hats and our boots and our Wrangler belts, it's part of our attire. We don't just save it for the rodeo. Houston has so many different museums and landmarks that you can visit and tour the Space Center. There's NASA. You've heard the saying Houston we have a problem and you want to go see what that is. Buffalo Bayou Park is endless. Like there's trails where people are biking, walking. It's a really great way to take in nature and take in all of Houston. I don't think that anyone said it more accurately than Anthony Bourdain. He said that Mai's was the first taste of Vietnamese that he had outside of Vietnam itself. I've been doing this for years and I feel like it's my kitchen, at home kitchen. I don't feel it's a restaurant at all. My mom is the restaurant's namesake. She is the heart and soul of the restaurant itself. Mai's Restaurant's goal always is to serve authentic, classic Vietnamese. Stick to your roots. Stay true to yourself. Definitely represent the Houston item scene. I'm really proud to be a part of it.