Inspired by tradition. Using modern techniques. To create natural food.
About
At The PhamilyTable we are creating dishes inspired by our cultures, the respect for ingredients, nature, and where we live, Vancouver. We want to express our passion and creativity by sharing our experiences and memories with food by sourcing quality ingredients to create an evolving ingredient driven menu.
We believe in utilizing every part of an ingredient and make an effort to waste as little as possible. Our cuisine is focused on simplicity but with complex flavours. Creativity, taste, vision, colour and smell are put centre stage.
Photo credit @foodolgy olive green apron and chef jacket from Chef and Co Canada
The Phamily table was created July 2017 by Chef/owner Brandon Pham, Surrey born and raised and of Vietnamese descent. His earliest memories with food was of helping his Mother in the kitchen, picking herbs, pickling vegetables and waking up to the aromas of spices that filled the house. He would sneak out of bed in the middle of the night when everyone else was asleep and find that his Mother was still awake, skimming, adjusting the heat and tasting the broth. He would always be the first to try the soup, but his Mother always told him it wouldn't be good yet, but it will taste better only after it had more time to simmer. Looking back, Brandon realized how much work and care his Mother always put into every dish she made and how she shared her knowledge and passion. She is the greatest influence and inspiration in his cooking. Brandon attended the culinary arts program at Vancouver Community College. After completion, he was fortunate enough to do his apprenticeship under his mentor Chef Hamid Salimian at the Westin Wall Centre and then at Diva at the Met, where he gained invaluable knowledge. He continued afterwards working at the 5 diamond hotel Shangri La Vancouver, before making his way over to Copenhagen to stage at Michelin star restaurants.
After returning to Vancouver he worked his way up the ranks and was a part of opening restaurant and hotel teams. Most notably, Beach Bay Cafe and Trump International Hotel Vancouver. Eventually given the opportunity to be Chef de Cuisine at restaurant Sai woo where he was able to put his ideas onto the plate. This is where Brandon truly understood the importance of his team, who humbled him and reminded him of why he got into cooking to begin with. Their hard work and passion drives him to work harder. He believes his role is to pass on his knowledge to his apprentices the same way his mother passed it down to him.
Cooking for him was to bring people together. Even until today, his Mother would never allow anyone to leave with an empty stomach whether you are a friend, family, or stranger. At the dinner table was where we ate, but more importantly, caught up, discussed, laughed and spent time together. This is what The Phamily Table means. His journeys, memories, experiences, team and family helped define the direction and brought clarity to his vision. We would love to invite you to join us at The Phamily Table.