Remembering my first days in Wilmington, NC, I smile. The year was 1975, and the closest thing to an Asian grocery store was the La Choy section of the Carolina A&P grocery store. To ease my homesick heart, my husband would drive me to Washington, DC, to stock up on Asian food from the Vietnamese grocers there. How I would delight in the diverse Thai and Vietnamese dishes from the restaurants we would visit. In those days, the “Asian cuisine” available locally usually consisted of little more than Chinese Chop Suey or Chow Mein dishes served in most restaurants. It was in the lack of Asian cuisine culture that I began my passage into marriage, motherhood, and professional life. But times and tastes were changing and with time came the wave of Chinese buffets.

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As I grew, so did my desire to embrace and celebrate the rich experience of Asian cultures and cuisines, and share that with my family and friends. I realized that Vietnamese and Thai cuisines were at a global crossroads, a reflection and a blending of more than a hundred cultures. I wanted to bring these crossroads of cuisine to Wilmington. Indochine was the result of that desire to share this culture of food and art, which I took for granted as a child, but have come to appreciate so deeply in my new country. Many people have welcomed Indochine and shared my vision and love for the exotic tastes and experiences we offer, and I am so grateful to them all. Thank you for your continued patronage over the years.