ALLENTOWN, Pa. – For Katrina Glover, the sous chef at the new Pho Le on 7th Street, the restaurant is doing a lot more than making the best Vietnamese food. They’re helping her community.
“I’ve been in the culinary industry for over 22 years and this is just one of the phases I never dreamed of imagining. I love Lina. I’ve never met no one like her before,” said Glover.
She’s referring to Lina Dang, the owner, who decided to come here from New York to open this restaurant. Justin Backover reports on wfmz.com
“She’s giving us a chance. As long as you want to work she’s here for us and I’m just grateful for her and her family. And they’re giving us all an opportunity to do something different other than flip burgers,” said Glover.
“They worked on these recipes for years and they didn’t want to bring it until they thought everything was ready for them to bring out. We have what they call pork and rice dishes. One of the favorites is our deluxe knock out,” said Donald Green, operations manager.
The restaurant opened last week with an emphasis on fresh, quality food.
“We come in at 7, we leave at 9, 10 at night. We just want to push out the best food for the neighborhood,” said Glover.
To Glover, the food she’s making for her neighborhood is a needed alternative, “other than what we always put in our body, which is garbage,” said Glover.
The restaurant has already been getting some buzz in the neighborhood.
“What I hope to see, lines wrapped around the block. Phones ringing off the hook,” said Glover.