We had the good fortune of connecting with Jon Nguyen and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jon, what role has risk played in your life or career?
i never saw risk in any decision i ever made in my career. i only saw opportunity. and looking back, when the outcome of any opportunity didn’t turn out the way i wanted it to, i was able to take that knowledge and experience from that failure and use it as ammunition for my next life choice.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
i own 2 restaurants. i have a CPG business. i host a podcast. and there’s nothing easy about doing any of the 3 at the standards that i’m comfortable with. it took me almost 15 years of working in the restaurant business to finally get a shot at opening my own place, and from that platform i was able to do more things and develop more brands. i’ve learned to not judge myself for any shortcomings and to not restrict any accomplishment to a timeline. things happen for a reason and at exactly the right time in your life. i don’t force anything to happen anymore and let everything come to me organically. we work tremendously hard, and allow opportunities to find us. i’de like to think i conduct my business with the highest of integrity and am able to touch lives way beyond the 4 walls of our restaurant through kindness and compassion.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Joe’s Stone Crab. Sweet Liberty. Stubborn Seed (and meet chef jeremy ford and dallas wynne). Ember or Kaido (and meet chefs brad and soraya kilgore). South Point in South Beach. Miami Design District.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Tien Ho. My greatest mentor and friend. Benjy Levit. Gave me my first opportunity in the restaurant business and taught me so much about this industry. Danny Meyer. After reading Setting the Table, it changed my whole perspective on hospitality and i ended up working for one of his restaurants for a short while.

Website: www.trananmiami.com
Instagram: @jonnguyenlovespho @trananmiami @jonnguyentalks