The Plane Was Hijacked
When Trang Nguyen-Tan opened the first Friendship Kitchen, she was fresh out of a major life transition, rebuilding her future one bowl of pho at a time. She had just left her job as a Delta flight attendant and poured everything she had into a food truck—which was promptly stolen.
Rather than quit, she dug deeper. She launched a brick-and-mortar restaurant on Glisan Street, one rooted in the meals she cooked with her friends while flying around the world.
It wasn’t about profit. It was about survival, chosen family, and finding her joy again through food.
Cleared for Landing in Her DMs
A year later, she met Wei-En Tan—a pilot, accomplished violinist, and tech-savvy introvert who had just opened Alouette, a French restaurant tucked behind Stem Wine Bar. They met on the anniversary of Friendship Kitchen’s opening, not at Trang's restaurant, but at Alouette, where Trang sought comfort during a lonely milestone. Wei-En was sipping wine at the bar. Trang introduced herself. She asked if Wei-En liked Vietnamese food. She slid into her DMs. The rest, as they say, is delicious history.
I’m an extreme introvert, and Trang is the opposite. She’s all heart and charisma—and I’m more behind the scenes.
- WEI-EN TAN
Tray Tables Up, Restaurants Open
Now, the couple co-owns Friendship Kitchen NW: From Saigon 2 Singapore, a restaurant that quite literally tells the story of their relationship in every dish. You’ll find Vietnamese staples like bánh xèo and pho, but also laksa and nasi lemak, recipes passed down from Wei-En’s Singaporean mother, who taught Trang to cook her first laksa by hand.
"Everywhere we lived or laid over as flight attendants, we’d cook together. My friends would call it the 'Friendship Kitchen,'" Trang recalls. "Now, we live it for real."
She’s [Wei-En] the smartest person I know. And she makes me feel like I can do anything.
- TRANG NGUYEN-TAN
Flight Manifesto
The restaurant's name isn’t branding—it’s manifesto. Trang and Wei-En don’t just serve meals; they serve connection. There’s a palpable warmth to the space, a kind of big queer bear hug that regulars feel the moment they walk in the door. Maybe it’s the intimacy of Trang's tableside energy. Maybe it's Wei-En's seamless tech backend and quiet orchestration. Maybe it's the Pride flags proudly flying outside or the fact that both women live unapologetically, radically out and proud.
As out, married lesbians of Southeast Asian descent, Trang and Wei-En bring visibility and joy to every part of their business. Their love story is front and center—not hidden in the background—and their presence in Portland’s culinary scene is both a personal triumph and a quiet act of resistance.
We don’t want to be the coolest restaurant," Trang says. "We want to be the one you come back to when you need comfort. When you need home.
- TRANG NGUYEN-TAN
From Kitchen to Cockpit
Beyond the kitchen, Wei-En still flies—literally. She owns a red aerobatic plane, holds an instructor's license, and teaches flight instructors how to safely spin aircraft. Trang, inspired, is now taking flight lessons herself. Wei-En is also an accomplished violinist and performs with several local orchestras. It’s hard not to marvel at their shared trajectory: two women of color, both immigrants, queer, neurodivergent, and deeply in love, building something extraordinary from what once felt like impossibility.
We play to our strengths. She [Trang] brings people in, and I keep it running.
- WEI-EN TAN
Opposite Flight Paths
Even their dynamic is perfectly tuned. "She’s the face; I’m the backend," says Wei-En, who quietly wrote the restaurant’s app and answers emails signed with Trang's name. "We play to our strengths. She brings people in, and I keep it running."
When asked how they divide life and work, Wei-En shared: "I’m an extreme introvert, and Trang is the opposite. She’s all heart and charisma—and I’m more behind the scenes." Trang quickly added: "She’s the smartest person I know. And she makes me feel like I can do anything."
Clear Skies Ahead
Their complementary styles spill over into every corner of their lives—from how they decorate their home, to the way they dream together about the future. Right now, those dreams are focused on family. After multiple IUI and IVF cycles and heartbreaking setbacks, they are taking a short pause before trying again. "It’s hard," Trang says. "But we want this. And we’re not giving up."
And while they’re not actively planning to open a third location anytime soon, they did entertain the hypothetical: If Friendship Kitchen could land anywhere? "Maybe Seattle," Trang mused. "Or maybe Singapore. Or maybe just wherever our next chapter takes us."
A Soft Landing
When asked what they hope people feel when they eat their food, Wei-En didn’t miss a beat: "Seen. Safe. Loved."
Together, Trang and Wei-En are redefining what a restaurant can be: not just a place to eat, but a space to be seen, nourished, and loved. In a city known for its culinary creativity, they’re quietly building something even more rare: a sanctuary.
Everywhere we lived or laid over as flight attendants, we’d cook together. My friends would call it the “Friendship Kitchen.” Now we live it for real.
- TRANG NGUYEN-TAN
Return Trip Home
"We don’t want to be the coolest restaurant," Trang says. "We want to be the one you come back to when you need comfort. When you need home."
And just like that, Friendship Kitchen lives up to its name—in every bite, every embrace, every plate made with intention. If you’re lucky, you might catch them flying overhead too.
Get in Touch with Trang & Wei-En
Friendship Kitchen NW: From Saigon 2 Singapore is located at 2764 NW Thurman Street in Portland. Their original location on NE Glisan is also open. For updates, events, and the occasional airplane loop, follow them @friendshipkitchenpdx.
Follow Friendship Kitchen at @friendshipkitchen
For restaurant information, catering, and more, visit friendshipkitchenpdx.com