Two Boston-area eateries blend tradition with innovation
Flavorful family recipes served by the next generation in Quincy and Boston
ARE HAPPY TO SHARE THEM WITH EVERYONE. OUR FAMILY, YOU KNOW, WHILE WE’RE VIETNAMESE AMERICAN, MY PARENTS ARE VERY TRADITIONAL VIETNAMESE. MY DAD WAS THE OLDEST. I’M THE OLDEST OF FOUR. AND SO IT WAS ALWAYS KIND OF LIKE MY CALLING TO TAKE OVER THE FAMILY LEGACY. TAM LEE’S FAMILY OPENED FARWA IN DORCHESTER IN 1992. THAT’S WHEN I WAS 11 YEARS OLD. SO I GREW UP IN RESTAURANT INDUSTRY. IN 2009, HIS FAMILY OPENED A SECOND LOCATION IN QUINCY. TAM TOOK OVER FOUR YEARS LATER AND NAMED IT AFTER HIS WIFE FOR LYNN. NOW HE AND HIS PARTNER, CHEF PETER NGUYEN, ARE BREATHING NEW LIFE INTO THIS CORNER SPOT ONCE MORE, WITH A DISTINCTIVE NEW MENU AND A NEW NAME, LA MADELINE. MADELINE IS MY DAUGHTER’S NAME, SO WE REBRANDED IT BECAUSE WE WANTED TO DO SOMETHING NEW AND FRESH FOR VIETNAMESE CUISINE. I WANT TO COOK WHAT I WERE LIKE EATING INSTEAD OF HAVING OTHER PEOPLE COOK FOR ME. AFTER BRIEFLY DABBLING IN SOFTWARE ENGINEERING, PETER MADE HIS WAY TO THE KITCHEN, WORKING IN RESTAURANTS THROUGHOUT BOSTON AND IN HOUSTON. THE BAR NEAR THE DODGING BEEF THAT’S ALSO VERY COMFORTING DISH THAT I’VE GROWN UP, PUT MY OWN SPIN ON IT. I MADE A WHOLE DIFFERENT SAUCE THAT NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE DO. I ADD BABY CORN TO THEIR KATIE AND JACKIE, WHICH USUALLY DON’T HAVE SOME KIND OF SAUSAGE, BUT I THOUGHT IT WAS A REALLY GOOD FIT FOR THAT, AND IT’S BEEN A HIT. BOON BO HUI IS A WARM NOODLE SOUP PACKED WITH PROTEIN AND FLAVOR. BOTH MY PARENTS ARE FROM HUI, WHICH IS A CITY IN CENTRAL VIETNAM, AND THAT’S WHERE THE DISH COMES FROM. IT’S MY MOM’S RECIPE, AND IT’S A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT THAN IT’S A LITTLE BIT SPICIER, AND IT’S A LITTLE MORE EXOTIC. THE CRAWFISH NOODLES ARE INSPIRED BY PETER’S FIANCEE’S FAMILY. ARE THEY’RE FROM MISSISSIPPI, LOUISIANA AREA. AND, YOU KNOW, THE SETTLERS DOWN THERE WHEN THEY CAME FROM VIETNAM TO THE SOUTH GULF AREA, THEY ADAPTED WITH THE CAJUN RECIPES AND WITH THE VIETNAMESE COOKING. SO IT’S LIKE A NICE CAJUN THAI BASIL BUTTER SAUCE THAT DRIZZLES ALL AROUND IT. THE PAIR HAS DEVELOPED A MENU THAT FUZES THEIR CULTURE’S RICH HISTORY WITH FLAVORS OF THE FUTURE. BRING OUR LEGACY. BRING THE ROOTS IN EVERY DISH THAT WE HAVE. I’M NOW LOOKING TO THE NEXT GENERATION, SO WHETHER IT’S PETER OR EVEN MY KIDS, AND SO JUST MAKING SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, WHILE WE ARE AMERICAN, WE STILL FIND A WAY TO KEEP OUR CULTURE AND OUR HERITAGE. MIR BENTZ. BENTZ, JEAN-FRANCOIS LEARNED ALL HE KNOWS ABOUT FOOD FROM COOKING AT HOME. I’VE NEVER REALLY WORKED IN A RESTAURANT, BUT I ALWAYS COOK FOR MY FAMILY, FOR CHURCH, AND WHENEVER THEY HAVE AN EVENT, I ALWAYS MAKE SOME KIND OF A DISH. WITH POTLUCKS. AND THEN I REALIZE PEOPLE REALLY LIKE MY FOOD IN CHURCH. MY FOOD ALWAYS BE THE FIRST TO BE GONE. SO I’M LIKE, MAYBE I HAVE SOMETHING HERE. MAYBE I HAVE A TALENT. BORN IN HAITI, BENTZ MOVED TO THE US WITH HIS FAMILY WHEN HE WAS 14. WE MOVED HERE FOR FOR A BETTER LIFE DURING THE PANDEMIC. BENTZ, LIKE MANY, FOUND HIMSELF WITH A LOT OF TIME ON HIS HANDS. I WAS JUST IN THE HOUSE MAKING COOKING VIDEO AND POSTING IT ON INSTAGRAM AND SNAPCHAT USING THE CASH LINE. DID YOU EAT YET? AND THEN IT SLOWLY PICKS UP. MY FRIENDS STOPPED CALLING ME BEN. THEY CALL ME YET. BENTZ WOULD DELIVER HIS FOOD TO FAMILY AND FRIENDS AND LATER STARTED SELLING HIS CLASSIC HAITIAN DISHES AT THE BUFFET AT AMERICA’S FOOD BASKET IN RANDOLPH. FEEDING PEOPLE IS MY PASSION, SO I LOVE JUST WATCHING PEOPLE EAT MY FOOD MAKES ME HAPPY. IN AUGUST 2024, BENTZ FOUND A WAY TO FEED EVEN MORE PEOPLE WHEN HE OPENED UP SHOP IN BOSTON’S ROXBURY NEIGHBORHOOD. I WASN’T REALLY LOOKING FOR A SPOT, AND I WAS JUST IN THE AREA. I SEE THE THE SIGN IN THE BUILDING AND I FIGURED, HEY, WHY NOT JUST GIVE THEM A CALL TO SEE WHAT THEY SAY? THIS SPACE USED TO HOST A SANDWICH SHOP AND CONVENIENCE STORE. SO BENTZ KEPT THE CONVENIENCE AND SUBBED IN HIS FOOD WITH AN AROMA THAT LURES PEOPLE IN OFF THE SIDEWALK. WE HAVE SOMETHING CALLED GRILLO, WHICH IS A FRIED PORK. WE HAVE THE DUKE JOHN JOHN, THE BLACK RICE. IT’S MADE OUT OF A MUSHROOM THAT ONLY GROWS IN HAITI. THE LEGUME IS A VEGGIE STIR FRY THAT SERVED WITH MEAT OR WITHOUT MOST OF THE RECIPES. IS MY MOM BECAUSE SHE TAUGHT ME HOW TO COOK. THERE’S ALSO A GOAT STEW THAT’S SPOONED OVER RICE AND BENTZ FAVORITE, OUR FAMOUS MAC AND CHEESE. WE CALL IT WALLY’S MAC AND CHEESE. ALL THESE MY SISTER. THAT’S OUR RECIPE. WE’RE USING TREASURED RECIPES SHARED AMONGST FAMILY, THEN FOLLOWERS, AND NOW A WHOLE NEW FACTION. IT’S A LOT OF LOVE, A LOT OF ENERGY COMING TOWARDS ME WHEN I SEE PEOPLE ENJOYING THE FOOD. DID YOU EAT YET? AND IF YOU’RE NEW TO HAITIAN FOOD AND NOT QUITE SURE WHAT TO ORDER, IT’S SUGGESTED TO TRY A SAMPLER PLATE. YOU GET A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING, AND BEN SAYS THAT HE’S ALSO ADDED TRADITIONAL SOUPS AND HAITIAN SPAGHETTI TO THE MENU, PERFECT FOR THIS COOLER WEATHER THAT IS PERFECT. AND BACK TO LA MADELEINE. THEY’VE GOTTEN A WHOLE HOST OF ACCOLADES RECENTLY, THOUGH. NAMED TO THE NEW YORK TIMES LIST OF 25 BEST RESTAURANTS IN
Two Boston-area eateries blend tradition with innovation
Flavorful family recipes served by the next generation in Quincy and Boston
Updated: 8:10 PM EDT Oct 31, 2025
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Le Madeline is a new venture of owner Tam Le and chef Peter Nguyen that fuses their culture’s rich history with flavors of the future. The Vietnamese restaurant in Quincy first opened in 2009 — the second location of Le’s family restaurant in Dorchester called Pho Hoa. In 2013, Le took over and named the restaurant after his wife, Pho Linh. In 2024, Le partnered with Nguyen and named the new concept after Le’s daughter, Madeline. The pair has developed an innovative new menu that elevates traditional dishes with modern twists.Mirbentz Jean François has turned a tagline into a business in Boston. During the pandemic, “Bentz” began cooking his family’s traditional Haitian dishes at home and sharing videos on social media. His catchphrase, “Did you eat yet?” caught on with friends and family, and prompted Bentz to start selling his food at the buffet at America’s Food Basket in Randolph. In 2024, he opened his own storefront in Roxbury, aptly named “Did you eat yet?”
Le Madeline is a new venture of owner Tam Le and chef Peter Nguyen that fuses their culture’s rich history with flavors of the future. The Vietnamese restaurant in Quincy first opened in 2009 — the second location of Le’s family restaurant in Dorchester called Pho Hoa. In 2013, Le took over and named the restaurant after his wife, Pho Linh. In 2024, Le partnered with Nguyen and named the new concept after Le’s daughter, Madeline. The pair has developed an innovative new menu that elevates traditional dishes with modern twists.
Mirbentz Jean François has turned a tagline into a business in Boston. During the pandemic, “Bentz” began cooking his family’s traditional Haitian dishes at home and sharing videos on social media. His catchphrase, “Did you eat yet?” caught on with friends and family, and prompted Bentz to start selling his food at the buffet at America’s Food Basket in Randolph. In 2024, he opened his own storefront in Roxbury, aptly named “Did you eat yet?”
Dining and Cooking