Thai and Trinh Nguyen
Ba Sa, Pho T&N, and Ramie | Seattle, WA
December 2025
Trinh and Thai Nguyen always knew they’d be working in hospitality. Trinh spent most of her young adult life helping her parents at their restaurant, Pho T&N, in Poulsbo, Washington, until eventually moving to Seattle with her family. Thai also grew up working in his parent’s kitchen, but decided to take his studies a step further and enrolled at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City. He graduated in 2017 and went on to work at the acclaimed French restaurant, Daniel. But in 2018, when their mom suddenly got sick, the siblings officially took the reins at Pho T&N.
While working through the sudden transition, Thai and Trinh listened to the feedback from customers at the beloved phở shop, who were adamant not to see it change. Thai and Trinh took this sentiment to heart and realized they had the means to expand. With their mother’s health improving, they were eager to realize their own culinary aspirations. In 2019, the two opened Ba Sa on Bainbridge Island. With the success and stability of Ba Sa, Trinh traveled to France in 2023 to attend Ferrandi pastry school in Paris.
Trinh’s pastry experience and Thai’s culinary degree influenced the opening of their next concept, Ramie, in 2024. The restaurant captures their take on ambitious Vietnamese cuisine with dishes like their gỏi cá with cured hamachi and kumquat-fish sauce sorbet. Beyond their restaurant ventures, the two are passionate about mentoring other young Vietnamese chefs, who are typically underrepresented in the world of fine dining. While serving boundary-pushing dishes, Trinh and Thai are reducing food waste and reshaping Seattle’s perspective on modern Vietnamese cuisine.
