Goat herder succeeds because of his passion for food

From a goat herder, Tri Thuc has risen to become the owner of a famous goat processing restaurant chain in the ancient capital. Not stopping at his successes, the 9x young man continues to research and bring Ninh Binh's culinary specialties to the world.

Born into a poor family with parents working in agriculture , the young man born in 1991, Vu Tri Thuc (Khe Thuong village, Ninh Xuan commune, Hoa Lu district) always understands the hardships and difficulties that farmers have to endure. Thuc's childhood is associated with early mornings herding goats up the mountain and picking vegetables and grass to feed the goats.

Thuc said that the herd of goats was only a few but was the most valuable asset of his family at that time. Thuc took care of the goats every day, hoping that they would grow up quickly so that his parents could sell them to buy books and new clothes. For rural children, this was a dream that not every family could afford. However, when it came time to sell the goats, the price fluctuated, and sometimes no one bought them. Thuc's parents were sad, sometimes having to sell them at a low price to recoup some of the initial costs.

"Seeing my parents working hard day and night while goat meat was unstable and difficult to sell, I felt sorry and wondered if there was any way to increase production value..." Thuc recalls. "So my father and I learned more dishes made from goat meat. From traditional goat dishes with familiar flavors, my father and I also researched other ingredients and created more flavorful and attractive goat dishes. Also from the years of my difficult childhood, being attached to my hometown's cuisine motivated me to pursue a culinary career, contributing to my success today."

In 2008, Thuc took the entrance exam to the Culinary Arts Department of Hanoi College of Tourism . After graduating, he returned to his hometown to start a business. From the initial restaurant with only a few tables, he has now expanded it to 50 tables, one of the earliest restaurants in the tourist land of Ninh Xuan. Thuc said: "Ninh Binh is famous for goat dishes, so most tourists coming here want to enjoy this specialty at least once.

Personally, I think that when it comes to hometown specialties, when making them, I have to be responsible and passionate about them. It is not only a source of food and clothing, but also a specialty brand of the whole province. Especially when serving tourists - those who have traveled to many places and enjoyed many specialties, I have to make them more meticulous, attractive, and worthy of the hometown brand."

It is from the passion and desire to bring hometown cuisine far and wide that Thuc always urges himself to create many other attractive dishes to meet the enjoyment needs of diners.

Goat herder succeeds because of his passion for food — Dish "Fried mountain goat with galangal".

Most recently, this 9x guy represented a group of farmers in Ninh Xuan commune (Hoa Lu district) to make the dish "Fried mountain goat with galangal" in a cooking competition for farmer members organized by the Asian Farmers' Association and the Vietnam Farmers' Association in early February 2023. As a result, the dish surpassed many other specialties and won second prize. "This is a new dish with a strange taste but still ensures its attractiveness and rich nutritional value. The award is a great source of encouragement and an honor for me to continue researching and creating to bring goat meat cuisine to a large number of domestic and foreign tourists," Thuc shared.

It can be said that the passion for cuisine combined with the enthusiasm and creativity of youth has made Tri Thuc successful as it is today. Currently, his restaurant has prepared more than 100 goat dishes that are attractive to domestic and foreign diners.

According to Thuc's calculations, each month his restaurant receives about 6,000 visitors, with peak days receiving up to 400 visitors. "In recent years, Ninh Binh tourism has developed strongly, so restaurant owners like us have been able to welcome more diners. However, we always determine that just because there are many customers, we do not have the right to do business haphazardly or wrongly. No matter who we are with, we must show a cultured, civilized, and hospitable attitude. Only then can we contribute to building the image of the land and people of the ancient capital as friendly."

As someone who has worked with Thuc for many years, Mr. Hoang Xuan Hong, chef of Chinh Thu restaurant, commented: "Thuc is a friend and a restaurant owner who is very dedicated and loves his job. He always gives us positive energy and meticulousness in his work. Even though he is a busy boss, whenever he has free time, he is always in the kitchen to check and instruct his colleagues on how to prepare dishes."

Mr. Hoang Minh Bang, Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Ninh Xuan Commune (Hoa Lu District) informed: "Not only is he a good farmer and businessman, creating stable jobs for dozens of workers, Thuc also actively contributes to local movements and activities. Every year, Thuc donates hundreds of millions of dong to charity and humanitarian work. Tri Thuc is a shining example of the spirit of self-study, self-training, and creative work of young people."

It is often said that cooking is an art and the cook is an artist. Perhaps the talent of a young "artist" like Thuc is to bring diners a clearer sense of the freshness in the essence of regional specialties. There is not only the weighing and measuring of ingredients to make a dish but also the unique exchange of culture - cuisine - tourism.

At the age of 33, Thuc has achieved some success. However, without being noisy, ostentatious and complacent, Thuc still diligently searches and learns to improve himself every day. Thuc's story once again affirms that success is not easy, but if you have passion and enthusiasm, you will succeed more easily.

Minh Hai - Hoang Hiep

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