As owner of Torrey Pines’ newest restaurant, Bamboo Pho & Sushi, Andy Chang is no stranger to the industry. With an almost four–decade history in business ownership, Chang’s experience has allowed him to become skilled in his managerial and cooking skills, owning 10 restaurants in San Diego over his lifetime.

“I opened my first restaurant in San Diego in 1999 and up until now, I have already opened 10 locations,” Chang said. “I have a lot of experience running business organizations and labor and control, and I have a lot of history with Chinese food, Vietnamese food, and Japanese food. I like food I like to eat.”

Before moving to America in 1990, Chang said he learned most of his recipes in Vietnam from friends and family. 

“If people love you, they share with you,” Chang said. “I learned all I know about cooking from my family in Vietnam who told me the recipes and I learned from them. So here, I have my recipes, but I still have a lot to learn and I need to work hard.”

Chang said he enjoys creating and eating food. He and his wife, both of whom work at Bamboo, prioritize the unique aspects of their recipes. As a manager, Chang doesn’t often make the food himself, however the influence of his culinary past has led him to creating most of the restaurant’s recipes himself.

“When I get a day off, I always go [out] with my wife to eat, but I also like to make [food],” Chang said. “Most of the items on the menu are original recipes, all the unique recipes I created on my own. During the 35 years I’ve been working, I have a lot of experience being the owner of the shop, but also I create by myself. Especially the Japanese and Vietnamese rolls, they all have a home-made recipe, sauce, and everything.”

Chang said he is proud of his Vietnamese heritage and that it has taught him how to make quality food. He first began his career in culinary arts because of his lack of formal education. 

“I don’t have an education, I don’t have a [trade] skill, and every job asks for your college degree and if you’re a high school graduate, I don’t have any of that.” Chang said. “If you’re the CEO or human resource manager, you’re not hiring the people with no experience and skill. So in that moment, how do I survive? If I’m applying for a job, [during] the two-week hiring process I’m not getting paid. Who’s paying my rent? Who’s paying for my food? But with this restaurant, I can start right away. American culture is so different [from Vietnamese]. So I started my restaurant to control my own life.”

Chang moved to America in the 1990s due to Vietnam’s closed markets which were restricting to international trade, economic growth, and limited job availability.

“During my childhood I was very poor,” Chang said. “I lived in Vietnam and at that time it didn’t have an open market for outside countries, so we were really tight on money as a country. Even if I worked seven days a week, it still wasn’t enough to survive. That’s what gave me the motivation to become a business owner and self-employed.”

Because of this, Chang said that he was inspired to move to America where his parents had immigrated in search of more opportunities for growth.

“At 18 I went from a rice salesman to starting a [restaurant] in Vietnam, and I started making enough money to move to the U.S. in the 1990s,” he said. “My first step was Dallas, Texas. My parents were there. But I was unhappy with them, because my lifestyle and theirs was so different and they had never contacted me to come live in America. In my opinion, the best people are the people who want what’s best for you, and they never told me [about the opportunities in America]. So I left Dallas in six weeks to move to San Diego.”

Before moving to America in 1990, Chang said he learned most of histhe recipes he uses today in Vietnam from friends and family. 

“If people love you, they share with you,” Chang said. “I learned all I know about cooking from my family in Vietnam who told me the recipes and I learned from them. So here, I have my recipes, but I still have a lot to learn and I need to work hard.”

When Chang first moved to San Diego, he wasn’t in a position to open a business right away. So, he searched for jobs in the restaurant industry, but the fact that he didn’t have a car and was not fluent in English made it difficult.

“I worked for only $700 per month at a restaurant in Spring Valley [when I first moved to San Diego],” Chang said. “I worked 26 days a month with only four days for a break. I had no car, no drivers license, and I had to carpool for about five months. For the manager, it was really hard to help me carpool so she had to fire me. I had no job, and a couple days later I got lucky. I was reading the Vietnamese newspaper, and I found a job.”

After three months of working at his new job as a cook, Chang’s boss and the owner of the store helped him at what he said was one of the lowest points of his life. She sold him a car, which he said opened doors for him because he was now able to get around without relying on his coworkers for transport. 

“I really appreciate her to this day,” Chang said. “Ms. Kim was her name, but I lost contact. She sold me the car when I was in a bad place, and not a lot of people would do things like that. It has taught me that if people need help, I will do what I can to help them. I wire money to Vietnam, I donate to abandoned children. I don’t have much money, but I want to give back and help people like how Ms. Kim helped me.”

After getting that job, Chang still had to find ways to make ends meet in order to provide his son with the education he wanted for him. His son, currently 20 years old and a law student, has made Chang proud by pursuing the education he wasn’t able to have.

“California prices are so high, property rents and insurance and even the nearby youth club are too expensive,” Chang said. “But now, my son is 20 years old and majoring in business law so I needed to save up for him, so I opened my own businesses. I’m so proud of him. I don’t have education but he does and I am so happy. I always tell him that I love him and I will do anything to support him no matter what.”

Currently, Chang owns multiple businesses but primarily spends his time managing his locations in 4S Ranch and here in Torrey Highlands. 

“My location in 4S is 1600 square feet, but here it’s 2400,” he said. “Here, it is slow during lunch and busier during dinner, which is not ideal, but I think that maybe God set me up here for a reason, so I make do with what I have. I hope that this restaurant will keep growing so I can provide for me and my wife.”