THE
GREAT AUNTY THREE
STORY

"My grandmother is the culinary queen in our family. Every time I go to Vietnam everybody talks about her food, about the successful restaurant she owned, they rave on about it, I still hear it!" - Michael, creator of Great Aunty Three – the Vietnamese street food joint in Sydney’s Enmore.

In 1980, aged one and cradled in his mother's arms, Michael left his hometown of Can Tho, Vietnam, and arrived in Australia.

Growing up in an old-fashioned Vietnamese household, great importance was placed on traditional family recipes and shared mealtimes.

On his first trip back to Can Tho in exploration of his roots, Michael came across the phenomenon of street food, the spark that ignited his entrepreneurial idea. Wanting to capture that experience and bring it to Australia, Michael reshaped his career and forfeited the stability of a 9 to 5 job in favour of starting his own business.

Michael’s newfound passion and the support from his mother were what got him through. "My mum was the only one in the world that believed in me and sometimes that’s all you need, someone you care about who believes in you".

Armed with the knowledge and recipes from his Grandmother Ba (which in Vietnamese means 'three'), and support from his mother, Michael began drafting a plan to open what would later become Great Aunty Three.