The St. Paul Fire Department was called to 799 University Av. W. in St. Paul late Sunday and arrived to find heavy smoke and flames throughout the building, the former Ngon Bistro.

The location has been home to Vietnamese restaurants under different ownerships for more than 30 years, and was about to open as Khue's Kitchen, a brick-and-mortar outpost of the long-running pop-up by the same name. Chef and owner Eric Pham had been in the midst of staff training and finalizing paperwork for an opening that was expected before Labor Day.

"The whole building went up in flames," Pham told the Star Tribune. "There's nothing really left to salvage."

On Monday morning, glass littered the street and sidewalk around the restaurant. The upper-floor windows were broken, some blackened and boarded up. A smoky smell still hung in the air, and a notice condemning the building was posted on the front door. According to the fire department, there were no injuries and the cause is under investigation.

Eric Pham comes from a long line of restaurateurs who have overcome adversity through hospitality. His mother is Khue Pham of Quang Restaurant in Minneapolis. Her parents fled Vietnam, eventually landing in Minnesota with their six children. Matriarch Lung Tran was just 36 when her husband Quang died. Tran built the family's legacy in his name; Pham and her siblings still operate the beloved Nicollet Avenue restaurant.

However, Eric Pham wasn't raised in that kitchen. He was expected to go to college, but instead was drawn to restaurants. After leaving college, Eric Pham took a position in the kitchen of Gavin Kaysen's Spoon and Stable.

Photo courtesy of Khue's Kitchen, Star Tribune
Eric Pham in the kitchen with his mother and inspiration, Khue Pham.

He absorbed every bit of knowledge he could before launching Khue's Kitchen as a ghost kitchen. The restaurant gained buzz, due in no small part to a spicy chicken sandwich topped with chili crisp. From there, he moved into a long-term residency at Bar Brava, which ended last year when Pham announced he planned to open a stand-alone restaurant.

News spread quickly when Pham announced Khue's Kitchen would take over the former Ngon Bistro, which closed last summer. The storied restaurant had occupied the northeast corner of University Avenue and N. Avon Street for 16 years under chef and owner Hai Truong, who carried on his family's tradition. Previous restaurant tenants were Pho Anh, run by his aunt, and Caravelle, run by Truong's father.

What comes next for Pham and Khue's Kitchen is unclear, Pham said, noting the business was insured. A Go Fund Me has been set up to support the team in recovery.

"I'm in shock and deeply disappointed since we were so close to getting something to the public," he said. "And now the road ahead is uncertain."