LENOX, Mass. — A local couple is bringing their love of Vietnamese food to the Berkshires.

 

Xiaoqing "Iris" Pan and Kang Chen, husband and wife, opened the Amazing Pho last month in the Center at Lenox on Route 7.

 

Though both are from China, they fell in love with Vietnamese cuisine and Pan would often travel far for some pho and three hours to Boston or New York to get a taste of milk tea, now something she sells at Amazing Pho.

 

"Everytime I go there I will bring six milk teas back here," Pan said. "I will drink one when I'm there and drink one in my car and drink one when I get home, and save another three for the next day because you're not going to drive three hours just for a drink."

 

In addition to milk tea and pho (noodles), the restaurant offers rice dishes, sandwiches (bahn mi), dumplings and salads. It also offers vegan and gluten-free options. Prices range from about $10 to $20 plus add-ons.

 

Pan's parents ran the former Amazing Pavilion Chinese restaurant in Pittsfield. They asked her to take over but she wanted to branch out on her own into Vietnamese food.

 

"We didn't want to continue the old restaurant, we want something new, we didn't want to be stuck there our whole entire life," she said.

 

But she was nervous opening a new restaurant because people here might not understand Vietnamese food and wouldn't like the change.

 

"So I was kind of worried people don't even know and they don't want to try new stuff you know because new stuff sounds scary to them, something they don't know," Pan said. "So I quite worried about it but until I opened, I underestimated people's passion to the little place."

 

But once Amazing Pho opened and people started to get curious, Pan felt supported and excited.

 

"People were really nice and they want to learn the new stuff like more than what I expected," said Pan.

 

Pan said she and her husband grew up going to Vietnamese restaurants but she can see people questioning their opening one.

 

"As you can see, I'm Chinese and this place is Vietnamese and people will question, 'your Chinese and making Vietnamese noodles, you're not professional you're not the one who know how to make it' so the answer from me is honestly I don't know how to make it," she smiled. "he's the one who knows how to make it."

 

Pan motioned to Chen, who worked part time at a Vietnamese restaurant and took notes from the chef to never forget a recipe.

 

"He followed the chef at the back kitchen during all of his high school part-time work and he really into it and he liked the smell and everything and the chef was quite nice and he taught everything to him," she said.

 

Pan and Chen hope that people like their food and are always looking for feedback. Pan wants her restaurant to feel inviting and welcoming for patrons and for those looking to try something new.

 

"No matter you know Vietnamese or don't know Vietnamese food you can always stop by you're welcome, even if you just take a look you don't order anything I'm totally OK with that," she said. "I like people sitting here, chat with friends, or get some drink."

 

Amazing Pho is open seven days a week, Monday through Thursday from 11 to 9, Friday and Saturday 11 to 9:30, and Sunday from 1 to 8:30. The menu has a range of Vietnamese food and others to choose from.