Dong Phuong Bakery

Back in the early 1980s, Huong and De Van Tran, along with their three children, emigrated from Vietnam to New Orleans to chase the American dream. Huong had worked in her father’s bakery growing up, so she began baking traditional French-Vietnamese pastries and selling them to local stores to help make ends meet. They proved to be so popular that she decided to open a bakery of her own, and in 1982 Dong Phuong was born.

Huong and her family continue to run Dong Phuong, which has since become a cornerstone of The Big Easy’s thriving Vietnamese community and was named an “American Classic” by the James Beard Foundation in 2018. Their baked goods are a thing of cultish devotion in New Orleans, including Mardi Gras King Cakes and their famous French bread, which forms the foundation of a whopping 17 varieties of bánh mì, the iconic Vietnamese sandwich. The bread has a crackling crust and a pillowy-soft interior, and is the perfect vehicle for the homemade meats, pickled veggies, and pâté that make up this legendary sandwich. These might just be the best Bánh Mì sandwiches you’ll ever try, and they’re shipping nationwide!