Today we’d like to introduce you to Hilda Tov.
Hilda, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’m originally from Vietnam and immigrated to America as a refugee in the 80s. Growing up in America we valued hard work with the goal of the American Dream. I moved to Minnesota in the late 90s as a single mother of 3 young boys and worked as a Hairstylist at a salon. A few years later, I opened up my first small business, Hilda’s Hair Hut near the Lake Nokomis area. We just recently celebrated our 23rd anniversary and we hope for many more!
This community means a lot to me and my family and we wanted to share more about our culture and bring Vietnamese Cuisine to the community. My middle child, Dyon, moved to Vietnam more than 6 years ago, and since, we visited Vietnam once a year. We saw the many variations and regional influences of the traditional Banh Mi while exploring different cities from Hanoi to Da Nang, Hoi An, and of course Saigon (our signature: Banh Mi Saigon is inspired by this city).
D’s Banh Mi is a family business we’ve been working on for over a year. This year, we are excited our vision is coming to reality and we can’t wait to share our culture and to serve our community! As for the success of Hilda’s Hair Hut, I wish the same for D’s Banh Mi. I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to open a family business with my 3 boys, Dylan, Dyon, and my youngest Dustin!
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road. Although I’ve been a small business owner for over 2 decades in the Cosmetic Industry, opening up an F&B business is completely different.
We also renovated an ice cream shop into a sandwich shop, which was the first time we did anything related to that. Working with the city and applying for permits has been a learning experience, but we are so happy with the outcome. I always believe every hiccup is a learning experience, so I’d say we graduated at the end of this.
We’ve been impressed with D’s Banh Mi, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
D’s Banh Mi is family family-owned and operated sandwich (Banh Mi) shop.
A banh mi is a traditional Vietnamese sandwich filled with Vietnamese cold cuts, pickled vegetables, and fresh herbs. Our signature sandwich is Banh Mi Saigon, which is the traditional Banh Mi of Vietnam. In addition, we have an assortment of Banh Mi inspired by different regions and cities of Vietnam. We also have a variety of fresh spring rolls and noodle bowls.
Our banh mi are filled to the max and stuffed with fresh herbs and vegetables. Our company values providing the most excellent Banh Mi, but also building a personal connection to our community. We hope to provide excellent customer service and banh mi.
We are most proud to offer the most authentic Vietnamese cuisine. Our offerings include but are not limited to, Banh Mi, Noodle Bowl & Spring Rolls. All of our items are made fresh daily!
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up.
As I mentioned in the beginning I immigrated to America as a child with my family. I remember seeing my Mom waking up early every day to go to work doing random jobs to earn money to feed me and my 5 siblings.
I remember being so proud of my mother who didn’t speak English but was working so hard to give us a better future. I still to this day, think about watching my mom work so hard, which pushes me to do the same!
Pricing:
- Banh Mi: $14.00
- Noodle Bowl: $14.00
- Spring Rolls: $7.50
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ds.banhmi
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ds.banhmi
