09/27/2026
Before VEx, this was me.
My name is Yến Collman, also known as Yen Ho. I was born and raised in Vietnam and came to America when I was 14 years old.
Over the next decade, I worked and went to school for engineering. I built my career from manufacturing into quality engineering and eventually management, working in both the medical and semiconductor industries.
I was working with machines worth more than $1 million, including equipment used for COVID-19 testing.
I was proud of the career I built.
But food was always part of me.
I have always loved cooking, feeding people, and sharing my Vietnamese culture through food. Owning a restaurant was something I wanted for years, but the timing never seemed to work. I looked at opportunities, lost out on deals, and kept moving forward.
Then, in 2022, I moved to Oregon because someone stole my heart.
I like to tell everyone he kidnapped me.
By 2025, we were seriously considering selling everything and moving back to Vietnam.
Then, in May 2025, we heard that VEX was closing.
We had been looking for a restaurant to invest in, so we decided to come check it out. We walked through the space, saw the potential, and made an offer.
And everything after that became history.
Today, instead of walking into an engineering facility, I walk into my own kitchen.
I get to cook the food I love, feed people, share pieces of Vietnam with our guests, and create an experience that represents where I came from and everything that brought me here.
My path wasn’t straight. From Vietnam, to engineering, to Oregon, and finally to owning a restaurant—every part of it brought me here.
I am grateful for the people who helped me along the way, my husband today, and every person who walks through the doors of VEx.
I am grateful to God and to the universe for how everything came together.
The engineer became the chef, and business owner.
And I believe the best is yet to come.
