MINH PHAT, chef and owner of the Mui Mui restaurant

Minh was born in Montreal in 1989. Of Chinese origin, hethe the Cantonese. His parents grandparents were born in Vietnam, so at home, they speak Vietnamese among themselves and Chinese with the children. Although born in Montreal, he grew up eat itant food much Chinese that lifetnamese.

The second of three boys, Minh always loved watching his parents cook; his father is a chef (he knew what he was getting into!). In a primary school yearbook, it's even written that he wanted to be a chef when he grew up!

Minh attended Georges-Vanier High School , but the truth is, he hated school, except for home economics (because the goal was to cook half the time), art, and physical education. Around the age of 14 or 15, he began volunteering at the local community center for two summers. He helped the staff with meals for seniors and for the kids at the day camp. Right after high school, he enrolled in a vocational diploma program in professional cooking, and it was through this program that he landed an internship at the Hunting and Fishing Club. After this internship, he completed the " Updated Culinary Arts Diploma " course , and then the head chef at the Hunting and Fishing Club called him back to offer him a job . He stayed there for about three years, aiming to work his way up through every position… mission accomplished!

He then worked for three years at Le Filet restaurant, where a Japanese chef taught him new techniques, until a friend offered him a sous-chef position at L'Orange Rouge in Chinatown —the restaurant wasn't open yet at the time . Then, one thing led to another, and for various reasons, he became head chef of the restaurant… he was only 24 years old! The adventure lasted seven years , then, unfortunately, the pandemic hit Chinatown hard, and the restaurant had to close its doors in June 2020. Following this decision, he and his partners from L'Orange Rouge contacted their best friends to see if they wanted to embark on a new project. They all said yes!

The team therefore opened the Mui Mui restaurant in February 2021 in take out & delivery mode at first, then, in the summer, they opened a terrace and dining room.

To say the least, Minh is a hard worker. He describes himself as a " job addict ." Just by looking at his career path, you can see that he loves his job, his restaurant, and his team , and that he puts his heart and soul into it.

Photo credit: Robitaille Photo