Mother-in-law starts business with Western son-in-law

At the age of 53, Ms. Le Thi Ngoc Trinh (from Tay Ninh ) started a business with her French son-in-law opening a restaurant selling traditional Vietnamese dishes in Ho Chi Minh City. Surprisingly, the restaurant received support from many foreign customers.

The story of a mother-in-law and her Western son-in-law - Timothée Rousselin (often called Tim) opening a restaurant in District 1 (HCMC) makes many people curious and interested.

"Grandma's restaurant"

That is how Mr. Tim respectfully and proudly introduces to many foreign and Vietnamese guests about the important person behind his family's restaurant, which just opened in early November.

Mẹ vợ khởi nghiệp cùng chàng rể Tây- Ảnh 1. — *Mrs. Trinh is happy to open a restaurant with her daughter and son-in-law.*

Tim said it all started in 2021, when Mrs. Trinh came from Tay Ninh to Ho Chi Minh City to take care of his wife, Ms. Eley Nhung Rousselin, who gave birth to their first child. Since then, she has stayed in the city and helped her husband and wife manage the housework and take care of the children. "Not long after that, my mother and wife decided to open an online restaurant selling two dishes: chicken curry and beef stew in Thu Duc City to make use of their free time to earn extra income. After nearly half a year, for many reasons, my mother and wife stopped doing it. However, opening a small restaurant that cooks traditional Vietnamese dishes has always been my grandmother's dream," the French man said. Last November, Tim and his wife found a location and together with Mrs. Trinh carried out a "dream project" so that his mother could become the head chef. That's how Lulis's Kitchen, a restaurant named after Tim and his wife's two children, Louis and Lilas, was born.

Mẹ vợ khởi nghiệp cùng chàng rể Tây- Ảnh 2. — *Quite a few customers at the restaurant are foreigners.*

Ms. Trinh is in charge of cooking with a kitchen assistant. Ms. Eley Nhung and a few other employees are in charge of welcoming guests and waiting tables. Mr. Tim is currently the manager of another restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City and comes to the restaurant to help out every day after work. The restaurant is open from 8 am to 10 pm with a menu ranging from 59,000 to 109,000 VND depending on the dish. Ms. Trinh said the "best-seller" here is chicken curry, along with traditional Vietnamese dishes such as spring rolls, spring rolls, banh mi bi, banh xeo, etc.

"Son-in-law said it was delicious... is motivation"

"When I was in my hometown, I opened a coffee shop, so I also liked the business. I cooked for my relatives at home and then cooked for my customers, following the family's recipe. My son-in-law is a foreigner, but when he ate the dishes I cooked, he still praised them and liked them, so that was also the motivation for me to cook and sell. Surprisingly, many foreign customers came to the shop to support and like the dishes I cooked," she said.

Mẹ vợ khởi nghiệp cùng chàng rể Tây- Ảnh 3. — *Ms. Eley Nhung married Mr. Tim at the end of 2020. Ms. Trinh always supports them in taking care of their children.*

Ms. Trinh hopes to introduce to foreign guests the diversity and richness of Vietnamese cuisine. In particular, she wants the Tay Ninh rice vermicelli rolls - a specialty of her hometown - to be known by more people. Ms. Clara (26 years old), a Belgian who currently lives and works in Ho Chi Minh City, said she is a regular customer of Lulis's Kitchen. She is very impressed with the taste of the dishes here, especially the chicken curry. The Belgian girl said that in her free time, she often invites colleagues and friends to support her. For her part, Ms. Eley Nhung, Tim's wife, said she is extremely happy to open this restaurant with her mother and husband. Married since November 2020, they now have 3 children and build a happy home in Ho Chi Minh City. She hopes that the dishes with her mother's recipes and the couple's dedication will increasingly receive the love of more diners.