Photo by Juan Davila
Audio By Carbonatix
Although Hy Vong closed its doors in 2015, the beloved Little Havana restaurant remains one of the most influential in Miami’s culinary history, with a story that extends far beyond the food it served. At its heart is a tale of friendship, resilience, and the immigrant experience.
So perhaps it comes as no surprise that after inspiring a book, the story of Hy Vong owners Katherine “Kathy” Manning and chef Tung Nguyen is now becoming a musical, premiering in Miami this weekend.
Soup The Musical, based on the memoir Mango & Peppercorns, makes its world premiere Friday, Aug. 14, at the Mandelstam Theater, in Coral Gables, where it will run through Aug. 23.
Hy Vong — which took its name from the Vietnamese word for “hope” — became a Miami institution after Manning and Nguyen opened the restaurant in the 1980s. The intimate spot on Southwest Eighth Street introduced countless Miamians to Vietnamese cuisine while earning a reputation for meals that could stretch for hours and hospitality that made diners feel like part of the family.
Photo by Brustman Carrino PR
“Hy Vong is a bite-size marvel of a place on Eighth Street, one you can easily miss if you blink,” penned Rafael Navarro, a New Times food critic back in 1989. “And what does it offer? First, it’s got food that aims high, and reaches its destination. More important, it’s got soul, a conscience – humanity.”
That humanity was inseparable from the unlikely friendship behind the restaurant. Manning and Nguyen met in 1975, after Manning sponsored 17 Vietnamese refugees through St. James Lutheran Church in Coral Gables following the fall of Saigon. Nguyen, who had fled Vietnam while pregnant, was among the refugees who came to live in Manning’s home.
In a 2015 New Times story published by Laine Doss around the closing of the restaurant, Manning recalled meeting the woman who would eventually become her business partner and lifelong friend. “Tung was one of many people that were in my house, but she was different than everyone else. She was very pregnant and she would cook for everyone, traditional Vietnamese dishes. She never sat down at the table.”
And she continued referencing the spirit of resilience that forged the culinary endavor. “When that little girl was born, I was the first to see her and that was very important to me. I remember when we were opening the restaurant, that was a difficult day for me, too. But that little girl took my hand and I knew it was going to be OK. Now that little girl is a grown woman and she took my hand again and I know, whatever happens, it’s going to be OK.”
Photo by Juan Davila
Their story eventually became Mango & Peppercorns, a multivoice memoir chronicling Nguyen’s journey from Vietnam to Miami, the friendship between the two women and the restaurant they built together.
Now that story is moving from the page to the stage. Produced by the Mandelstam Theater, Soup The Musical features music and lyrics by Miami singer-songwriter and composer Jim Camacho, with a book by Gil Kaufman, who also directs the production. Stefanie Roos serves as choreographer, and John Camacho is the musical director.
The original score traces Nguyen and Manning’s journey through war, displacement, friendship, family and, eventually, the restaurant that brought their cultures together around a shared table.
“This is an immigrant story, but more than that, it’s an American story. It’s about someone who loses everything, leaves a war-torn country with little more than hope, and through hard work, determination, and the kindness of others builds a new life. Along the way, she shares the flavors, traditions, and recipes of her homeland, creating a restaurant that brings people from every background together around the same table,” Jim Camacho shares in a press release sent to New Times. “Hy Vong became more than a restaurant. It became a place where cultures met, friendships were formed, and a community grew. I hope audiences leave inspired by the courage it takes to start over, the compassion that makes that possible, and the belief that the American dream is still alive for those willing to strive for it.”
Soup The Musical. 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 14 and 21; 1 and 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 15 and 22; and 1 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 16 and 23, at the Mandelstam Theater, 8530 SW 57th Ave. Coral Gables; 305-662-2736. Tickets cost from $50 to $65 via soupthemusical.com.
