Spoon & Stable to host Khue's Kitchen pop-up after 'heartbreaking' fire destroyed restaurant

In August, a fire destroyed the former home of Ngon Bistro just weeks before Chef Eric Pham was about to open Khue's Kitchen, his first restaurant.

The 24-year-old chef, whose grandmother founded Quang, told Bring Me The News it was "heartbreaking" to see his dream of opening "a unique dining experience" in a "space meant for a Vietnamese chef" destroyed. But Pham is back in the kitchen, hosting a pop-up inside a familiar restaurant.

On Oct. 24 and 25, Spoon and Stable will host a Khue's Kitchen pop-up in its bar and lounge. It's familiar territory for Pham, who spent two years cutting his teeth in Chef Gavin Kaysen's kitchen before founding Khue's Kitchen.

Each night of the pop-up, Pham will offer a special menu featuring items like crispy pork lettuce wraps, a fried chicken sandwich, and sesame balls, according to a post from Spoon and Stable.

Importantly, a portion of the proceeds from the pop-up will go toward rebuilding Khue's Kitchen.

Getting back in the kitchen and doing what he loves was something Pham discussed with Bring Me The News after the fire. "I realized that I have been so focused on the behind-the-scenes part of the restaurant that I haven't even been cooking for people," he said. "It'd be really amazing just to forget about the licensing and the restaurant and the building, the taxes, the insurance, just forget all about it and just do what I want to do, just make food. Just cook for people."

The Khue's Kitchen pop-up at Spoon and Stable will take place from 4–10 p.m. on both Oct. 24 and 25.

Related: 'Heartbreaking' fire destroys Khue's Kitchen days before opening, but Chef Eric Pham is 'moving forward'