By Kevin Kosanovich and Hadjj Mare
Southwest Detroit’s native son, George Azar, is working to turn his neighborhood, and Detroit, into a culinary destination with his amazing restaurant, Flowers of Vietnam. What began as an unlicensed pop-up restaurant in a crumbling former coney island quickly turned into a national sensation, garnering rave reviews from critics throughout the country, and being named one of GQ’s best restaurants of 2017. We recently caught up with George to talk about sneakers, food, music, and the state of the city.
The following interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
StockX: George, would you please introduce yourself? Ā
George Azar: Iām George Azar, from southwest Detroit, proper. Iām the chef/owner of Flowers of Vietnam. Thatās my bag!
Tell us about where it all started. Tell us about your family history.
All my family, cousins and everything, grew up in my neighborhood too. My dad came here when he was 17 and my mom when she was three. So Iām a first generation Detroiter. Iām Catholic and Palestinian. I say Catholic not because Iām religious but because people donāt realize that you can be Middle Eastern, Arabic, and be Catholic–because oneās an ethnicity and oneās a religion. People are like, ādid you convert?ā No!
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in southwest Detroit. Itās a predominantly Hispanic community in Detroit, a lot of people donāt know that. Detroit is known for being a black city and Americana, too. People donāt realize that for the last 60 or 70 years thereās been a large Hispanic community here, too.
What was it like growing up in southwest Detroit?
When I was a kid I was confused! Talk about an identity crisis. Think about growing up in a black city, in a Hispanic neighborhood, and being a Palestinian and Catholic, too. It was like, āwhat the fuck!ā Iād look in the mirror and be like, āwhat am I?ā
What do you think about Detroit culture?
Detroit had been in cultural isolation for a while. We do things a certain way; we dress a certain way. Take Cartier glasses for example. I was at the jewelry store talking to Hutch and I said, āwe had to give Rick Ross those glasses, we had to literally give people Detroit culture.ā Think about it: itās not like a homie or someone heard about it and wanted to check it out; they had to come directly to us to get it. So thatās how we’re in cultural isolation now. But the isolation is ending. And once Detroit hip-hop breaks out, once Sada Baby breaks out, boom, itās over.
Letās talk about sneakers. When did you first get into sneakers?
When I was a kid. I remember buying [Air Jordan] Flint 13s. Because of my origins, because of how I grew up, Iām still into sneakers: Iām always checking to see whatās going to drop; Iām setting my alarm to try and cop on the SNKRS app; Iām like āIāve got Nike Pass for the [Air Jordan 11] Concords, Iām good.ā Most of the other chefs I know, donāt do that. But itās because I did this as a kid and my cousins and the people around me were into it that I got into it and Iām still into sneakers.
Youāve lived and worked all over the world, are there differences in sneaker culture?
Yes. New York definitely has a different sneaker culture. But one thing New York and Detroit have in common is: ādonāt step on my shoes, bro!ā In the south, people will just apologize. Hereās another difference: you canāt honk at people in Detroit. One time I was driving back to Detroit from New York–completely random story–and when we got back to Detroit I was like āwatch thisā and I honked at someone and they yelled out, āwhat the fuck,ā and I knew we were back home. But sneaker culture in Detroit has always been Air Force 1s, Jordans, and Timberlands. Ā Ā
The music in your restaurant is great. Tell me about how you use music to enhance the dining experience at Flowers of Vietnam?
Can I tell you what it really was? Iām just selfish when it comes to what I want to listen to at work. Then it just got to the point where we came to be known for playing some reckless hip-hop, like a lot of Detroit rappers I grew up with, like Tee Grizzley. Also, a lot of HOV, Iāll just hit āBest Of Jay-Zā on Sonos. The music also started because of years ago when I started as a cook I used to say I would know when I made it when I could play Rock Bottomās āNoā as loud as I wanted to during service. I was able to do that when I opened my own shit.
So hip-hop doesnāt affect the way you cook?
Iām a lot happier when I get to listen to what I want when Iām cooking. We get live and keep the momentum going. Sometimes itās selfish because the customers donāt want to hear that when theyāre eating. You should read my Yelp reviews: music and overpriced food are the two biggest complaints [laughs].
What is your most vivid memory from growing up?
Recently, I smelled some Mrs. Meyerās lilac soap and the smell reminded me of this bush I played with in my backyard when I was a kid and I realized growing up I was always smelling lilac. Thatās the most vivid memory I have.
Growing up, really, I had this busted-ass balcony where I would sneak out to smoke and do all sorts of dumb shit. Then when I got older I always had friends from all over the city and they would come to visit me, and love the fact that they could get anything in my neighborhood. As I got older I realized how southwest had flourishing small businesses and how small businesses were the life blood of communities. Thatās part of the reason I knew I when I opened my own restaurant it was going to be here. I never left southwest.Ā
What is your first memory of food, of cooking?
Definitely cooking for my friends, when I got a little bit older and was left alone. I would call up my friends and be like, ācome on over, I just made some shit!ā Hereās the thing: I definitely didnāt grow up with a silver spoon, but I had a spoon. When the people around me didnāt even have that. I had both parents; literally, no one around me had that. For me to invite over friends to it, it was something I could share like ādonāt worry, I got you.ā So cooking for my friends, and watching my mom cook, thatās really important.
What did you see your mom cook?
Anything and everything, especially Arabic food. A lot of Arabic food. Arabic home cooking is a lot different than in the restaurant. Itās a lot of stews and one-pot cookery. The restaurant food is more like street food versions of shit. The restaurant style is like grilled meats. When we barbecue is when you see a lot of the restaurant style food cooked at home. My favorite dish to cook with my mom was cracked wheat and chicken. Itās cracked wheat with chicken, yogurt, and mint. Itās got a west African feel to it.
So, how did Flowers of Vietnam, your restaurant, come together?
Originally I was working on an Arabic concept but it was a little too āhaute cuisineā for that time in the city. I wasnāt going to be able to pull the money together for that concept, either. When I left Alinea [high-end Chicago restuarant], I was in super high-end bougie mode. But the city and my neighborhood canāt afford that and weāre not ready for that, yet.
So I came up with Flowers of Vietnam because one day I just got tired of having to always drive to Madison Heights to get good Vietnamese food. And I thought: āI canāt be the only person that wants good Vietnamese food and doesnāt want to have to drive to get it.ā So I figured that I was on to something, so I decided to just start cooking Vietnamese food. Also, I knew I needed to do something bizarre to get some attention because I didnāt have any money for marketing or anything. Iām in the hood, too, so I need to give people a reason to come out and come to dinner. So whatās a better story to click on then this restaurant cooking badass Vietnamese food in this old-ass dilapidated coney island. So I did it. Ā Ā
Hereās the crazy thing about it all: I was making money. I maxed out my credit cards and I was cooking in this random ass space because I couldnāt get capital. For a year I was making money and getting mad recognition and credibility from national, major publications as one of the best restaurants in the country. I still couldn’t get any money. Think about that, I still couldnāt get access to capital. I ended up getting the capital, but not in the best way because I had to agree to things to get the money. Itās fine, but Iām still cleaning that up to this day. From my perspective, I wonder how people can open projects so quickly or continue to get capital for projects even after theyāve failed multiple times, like what the fuck! Ā Ā
How has cooking and food culture changed over your career?
The cooking culture, the way that kitchens run, itās all changed. When I came up, the kitchens I worked in were strict. I canāt run my kitchen the way the kitchens were run when I came up. Iād have no cooks, theyād all quit. Cooks these days are soft; not my cooks, theyāre hard. The climate has changed, and itās ok. The cooking industry is going to collapse, anyway. No one wants to cook any more, not for a living, they donāt. Ā
Lastly, how do you see yourself within the larger food culture in Detroit?
If it was hip-hop, Iād be like, āwho you think!ā But itās not. First of all, weāre far from being able to compete with any major food city in this country. I feel like I have a lot of work to do with my personal goals and skills. I try to design things for people to experience things theyāve never experienced before. But they have to trust me first. Thatās why I have chicken wings on the menu. Detroiters are stuck in their ways, bro, you have to break them out. Thatās why I think what I do is fun. Unfortunately, no one is doing anything I havenāt seen before. I mean, I donāt go out to eat. But for it to change, the clientele has to change. Ā Ā Ā Ā