Wilma Wilmington's Magazine for women
October | 2006
Restauranteur’s passion goes beyond food
Name:
Solange Lliou Thompson
Job:
Owner of Indochine, a Southeast Asian restaurant. Manages daily operations
of the restaurant and oversees staff.
Previous work experience:
Pursued a career in public relations while working for a firm in Bangkok,
Thailand; switched gears to restaurant ownership 25 years ago; traveled
with her husband, opening small restaurants wherever she settled.
Hometown:
Hue, Vietnam; has lived in Wilmington for 30 years.
Education:
Attended St. Paul Catholic convent in Saigon, Vietnam, where she learned
French and English and also finished high school; graduate of Mhanvan College
in Vietnam.
Personal:
Married to Bob Thompson, retired U.S. Air Force officer, for 34 years; three
children Marie, Barbara and Boo. Enjoys spending her free time cataloguing
and expanding her antique collection and loves to fine-tune her garden.
She also devotes her time and linguistic talents to serving as a translator
for the Vietnamese community. “To give back to the community I think is
very important.”
Career change:
“I was always looking for a nice Asian restaurant. A place I would feel
proud to bring my friends to and a place that would be appreciated.”
Goals:
“I am constantly upgrading and changing things for the restaurant. My goal
is to challenge myself, to always have new customers and to keep the old
customers happy.” She hopes to one day open a Southwest Asian museum in
Wilmington.
Personal Philosophy:
“I made some mistakes, but from those mistakes, I learned so much. I am
a very blessed woman.”