My life story is a simple one, and its most interesting chapters have always been tied to the kitchen—to spices, flavors, and the pressure of perfection. To many, it might seem like a boring story, as it isn’t decorated with any glamour, awards, or medals. But I want to share it here for the wives, sisters, and women of Vietnam and Indonesia, with a message for you all: Learning, passion, and perseverance can change our destiny.

My name is Huyen Ho, also known as Maria, and I was born in Hue, Central Vietnam. I studied literature at Hue University and currently live in Bali with my husband and our two children. Cooking has always been my passion, even as a little girl when my family was too poor to have a kitchen at home.  After I married, my mother-in-law and my mom introduced me to the culinary world. I then traveled throughout Vietnam to learn about our country’s food culture and techniques. I was professionally trained by the great Sakal Phoeung, President of Escoffier Vietnam, at the Sofitel Hotel. Even now, I still feel like that little girl playing in her kitchen. I love traditional cooking methods and deeply admire Western gastronomy, but no matter the cuisine, my guiding philosophy is always to respect tradition. 

From being a stay-at-home mom, I pushed aside my worries and fears to start a completely new and demanding career as a chef. From the very first tiny 40m2 Mevui bistro where I was both the cook and the dishwasher, I now manage a chain of over 10 restaurants in Bali and Vietnam. My mission was to create a place where anyone in Bali searching for “Vietnamese food near me” would find not just a meal, but a taste of home. Today, each of our locations stands proudly as a beloved Vietnamese restaurant in Bali. And if i can do do it.  you can do it too. Perhaps even with me—why not?