Scenes and Winners from the Banh Mi Cookoff 2025

The sprawling metropolis of Houston has often been touted as one of the most diverse cities in the United States. And the diversity has spread even further in the region to areas south of the city such as Sugar Land and Missouri City. The immigrant population of Houston has not only brought demographic changes and cultural heterogeneity, but also an abundance of delicious cuisines.

While West African dishes and Filipino food are starting to gain more attention, the large influx of Vietnamese immigrants to Houston over the past 50 years has created a booming culinary industry. No longer do adventurous diners have to travel to Old Chinatown or Alief to find pho or banh mi.

While those areas and Katy Asiantown are still teeming with Vietnamese restaurants, many family-owned pho shops and banh mi eateries have popped up all over Houston’s suburbs. Though Vietnamese cuisine extends far beyond those two items, pho and banh mi have become popular eats for Houstonians.

The first wave of Vietnamese immigrants came after the fall of Saigon in 1975 and there have been subsequent groups since then such as the “boat people” of Vietnam and Cambodia. While some people might consider the term derogatory, many of the immigrants did arrive by boats and ships, though the treacherous journey also meant that a large number of them did not make it. And those that made it safely, often faced racism and anti-immigrant attitudes in their new land.

Boat People SOS originally began in the 1980s in San Diego as a a non-profit to aid refugees and protect their rights as asylum-seekers. It moved its services to Virginia before expanding to several other states and southeast Asia. In 2000, Boat People SOS-Houston Inc. was founded and its mission not only included helping refugees and immigrants with legal assistance and language services, but it also provided help to victims of human trafficking and domestic violence. Today its outreach includes senior citizen services as well as providing aid during natural disasters.

And that history brings us to banh mi. The BPSOS has an annual Banh Mi Cookoff to raise funds for its various programs. This year’s event, held September 16, was number 9 for the foundation and brought together six talented chefs and their teams for the tasty throwdown.

The competition was originally planned for the Pinstripes on Kirby, but after the venue unexpectedly closed, the event was moved to Lam Bo Ballroom off Westheimer. Despite the last-minute change, there was still a strong turnout.

The Houston Press was asked to help judge the event and this writer was the fortunate appointee. It was my second stint as a judge and the panel that served with me this year was an esteemed one. Lukkaew Srasrisuwan, chef and owner of acclaimed local restaurants Kin Dee, MaKiin and Thai Tail stood out as a culinary expert. She was joined by Danny Nguyen of Danny Nguyen Couture, sporting fabulous boots and a handlebar moustache. The last judge, Mama Mai, arrived a bit late due to a flight delay, and quickly grabbed the attention of the crowd who all seemed to know her. The mother of television host Jeannie Mai, Mama Mai has garnered her own following for her vibrant personality and humor. And everyone wanted a photo with her.

This year’s list of competitors was much smaller than 2023, when I had last judged. One team also dropped out at the last minute, but there were several other vendors providing bites to attendees besides the banh mi teams.

Our first dish came from Lena’s Asian Kitchen and it was a pretty traditional version, except for the use of crispy pork belly, which owner Lena Le explained was usually reserved for special occasions and holidays. I loved the crackle of the pork skin and all of the elements worked well as a sandwich, but it didn’t have the sparkle of a competition dish. The addition of the hoisin ginger sauce was a yummy bonus, though. I was most impressed by Le’s representation of her business, which she said employs victims of domestic violence to help create the healthful meals for the kitchen’s home delivery service.

The immigrant community was also well-represented by Van Houston Academy, a Vietnamese private school that hosts a number of international students. Our creator for the dish, Trinh, is the head chef at the school and is from Vietnam. He had a translator to describe the dish which was made with lemon grass chicken and used a mushroom spread instead of the typical pate. I loved the sweet, tender chicken and the vegetables inside. Unfortunately for me, the mushroom flavor was off-putting, almost overpowering the whole sandwich. I did eat the chicken with my fingers while no one was looking.

The best part of the presentation was the reason that Trinh gave for his love of cooking. Apparently, it was almost out of necessity. His own father’s picky eating and his mother’s lack of prowess in the kitchen stirred in him a desire to get in the kitchen and cook his way.

Though we were receiving delicious sandwiches, we had yet to be wowed. That was until Darius King brought out his smoked pork rib version. The smell of the smoky meat wafted across the table as he made his presentation. The taste of the tender pork was a match for the mouth-watering aromas. King owns Candy Paint Preserve Co. and it was his own red pepper jelly that gave a slight heat to the sandwich along with the pork and pickled vegetables. It was a bit of a messy sandwich and I could have done with a little less of the black pepper mayo, but this banh mi was a fusion of the South meets Vietnam and it was my favorite.

Our next entry, on the other hand, was a bit underwhelming. It was brought to us by the team at Petit Beignets and Tapioca. It was served bruschetta-style, with shredded pork shoulder, super-thin slices of pickled carrot, jalapeno and a sprig of cilantro. The meat was delicious, but the other elements were barely perceptible. It was fine as a festival freebie, but as a competition entry, it seriously fell short. Located up north, off Highway 249, the restaurant gets great reviews for its boba, ramen and beignets, so maybe this was just a one-off.

The next presentation, however, was spectacular. The crew at Drunken Lobster arrived at the judges’ table with a circular platter with banh mi bruschetta. There were slices of rolled pork and banh mi ingredients each in their own little jar, or decorating the platter. Though the judges’ servings were already composed, it looked like a BYOBanh mi party. For some judges, the presentation, complete with dry ice, put Drunken Lobster ahead of the rest of the competition. I was still sticking with King’s amazing pork rib version, but chef Cardin Nguyen’s creation delivered all the key components of a traditional banh mi in a creative way. And gave this writer an idea for her next cocktail party.

Our last entry was from Huynh’s Restaurant and delivered by Cindy Dang. She skipped the pork route and use prime ground beef instead. There was a lot going on with this sandwich and not all of it worked. She delivered the banh mi in a baguette, but also in a lettuce leaf. I don’t know the rules of the competition, but the bread itself was a distraction because it was soggy from the meat juices and pate butter. As a lettuce wrap, it would have been easier to taste all of the ingredients. Perhaps the baguette could have been added as croutons instead. The addition of the plastic pipette of soy sauce was cute and the choice of ground beef was different, but it wasn’t a solid choice for me. However, it was the People’s Choice, so who am I to question the people?

One thing I did learn from that dish was not to taste chili garlic sauce by itself. I popped a seed right in my mouth and the numbness was immediate. Thankfully, one of the team members from Central Vietnam Coffee arrived just in time with a sample of its Vietnamese coffee. The sweet and milky beverage helped to quell the heat.

Afterwards, we judges headed out to try some of the other dishes. Unfortunately, thanks to the successful turnout, everything was pretty much gone. There was a curry I was eyeing earlier and a pork jerky that I am very sorry I missed. However, I was grateful for all the flavorful food that I had been kindly presented and the interesting people that I met.

There were a lot of young people at the event, both volunteers and attendees, which was inspiring to see. In a time of uncertainty and fear for so many communities, it is up to the youth to honor the legacies and struggles of their ancestors and families by continuing their mission. 

I, for one, believe they can do it.

BPSOS Banh Mi Cookoff Winners:

Judges’ Choice 1st Place: Drunken Lobster
Judges’ Choice 2nd Place: Darius King (Candy Paint Preserve Co.)

People’s Choice 1st Place: Huynh’s Restaurant
People’s Choice 2nd Place: Drunken Lobster