My parents were fortunate enough to flee Vietnam after the war in search for a better life. They quickly settled in Brisbane and for the last thirty years have been involved in hospitality. My first job was at my dad’s fish and chip shop at the age of 14 where I worked every Sunday until the age of 25. With hospitality evidently in my blood, combined with my business degree it was just a matter of time before I would venture out to do my own thing. With countless memories of my parents, family and friends swapping stories, eating traditional Vietnamese cuisine, the idea of Porkees spawned.

Initially our primary focus was to sell high quality Vietnamese baguettes but felt sharing our family’s love for other traditional cuisine would be important to us and our customers. My Aunty’s 10 hour Pho was the next piece for our menu, and my mums Vietnamese Curry was decided by my partner’s constant request for it after one sitting at a family dinner. We rounded off our menu with some lighter options which included a selection of healthy rice paper rolls and salads made daily.

Whilst maintaining a focus on quality, we understood that time is precious, so service and going the extra mile for our customers is what really drives us. We were lucky enough to secure our dream location for our flagship store in HQ Fortitude Valley and still have an immense sense of pride and gratitude from a simple smile and a thank you from our loyal followers.

- Dianna