Yakuza House Story: The Journey of Huy Pham
Our Story
Huy Pham’s journey to opening Yakuza House is more than just a business story; it’s a raw, deeply personal account of a kid who learned to hustle, faced rejection, and ultimately built his dream from sheer grit and a whole lot of heart. This restaurant, specializing in Japanese cuisine, isn't just a place to eat; it's a testament to every struggle, every late night, and every moment Huy Pham felt like an 'outcast.'
From Kitchen Helper to Culinary Obsession
Huy Pham’s story begins where many chefs' journeys start, but with a unique twist of necessity. "My mom had restaurants when I was young, and I was raised in that environment," he recalls. At just 14, he wasn't just helping out; he was pulling his weight. "Seeing the hustle and bustle of a restaurant made me realize how hard work was needed to earn a living." As the only boy among six children, with a single mom, there was no "blueprint." All he knew was he had to help with bills and survival.
His first real kitchen job, outside his family's short-lived venture, was at Café Zen, a Japanese spot. He admits he "knew nothing about it," but something clicked. "When I got hired, I instantly felt like I was welcome as a family member," he says. His interest quickly spiraled into an "obsession" with Japanese cuisine and culture. Under Chef Hiro-San at Yakuza House, he learned the ropes, an "eye-opener" that solidified his path.
The Weight of a Head Chef Title at 17
A close friend saw Huy Pham's drive and offered him a job at Rock-n-Sake downtown. Suddenly, at the 'ripe young age of 17'—an age when he 'was supposed to be in a graduating high school'—Huy was thrust into the head chef position. He thought, 'it was my moment.' But the harsh reality quickly set in. 'I was only there to lower the overhead they were paying for the older chefs, and my confidence shot down like nothing I’ve felt before.' He endured this challenging experience for five years, learning tough lessons about the unforgiving side of the industry, particularly in the realm of Japanese cuisine.
Then came Hurricane Katrina, turning New Orleans upside down. When Rock-n-Sake's partners split, Huy seized an opportunity and headed to Long Island, New York, to open another Rock-n-Sake. It was a 'great experience to open my eyes to different types of the food scene,' and a chance to grow beyond the city's confines, eventually leading him to explore concepts like Yakuza House.
A Search for Progression and a Father-in-Law's Wisdom
After two years, Huy Pham's family called him back to New Orleans. He found a new home at Bamboo Restaurant in Harrah’s Casino, where Chef Phillip Chan 'believed in me,' giving him the freedom to 'order and work with things I have only dreamed of.' But when Bamboo closed, Huy found himself bouncing from restaurant to restaurant—Sakura, Kakkoi, Little Tokyo, Daiwa, and finally, ShoGun. 'Everywhere I went, I felt like I wasn’t progressing,' he admits, a restless feeling that something more was out there, particularly in the realm of Japanese cuisine.
Then, 2020 hit, and with it, the pandemic. COVID-19 forced him to 'reevaluate my life as a whole person.' He was staying with his then-girlfriend, now wife, desperately looking for work outside of kitchens. 'I applied to everything underneath the sun: mailman, work for Entergy, go back to school, researching how to dropship, sell items on Amazon, and even try to learn the stock market.'
It was her dad, a shrimper his whole life who owned his own boat, who cut through the noise. 'What was I doing?' he asked. Huy explained his job hunt. His father-in-law looked at him and simply stated, 'haven’t you been doing sushi for like 20 years now?' When Huy said yes, the wisdom came: 'it doesn’t make sense to change professions now.' His father-in-law then shared his own life's journey, concluding with a powerful truth: 'it was nothing but excuses. If you want something, you go get it.' That conversation, Huy says, 'is when the Yakuza House journey began for him.'
Building a Dream, One Scrappy Step at a Time
With renewed purpose, Huy Pham worked tirelessly. "I was working at ShoGun at the time: 6 days a week, 8am-11pm." After those grueling shifts, he’d go home and dive into proformas, researching how to open a restaurant. He crafted his plans, crunched numbers, and faced rejection after rejection from six different banks. But then, a glimmer of hope: a recommendation led him to Diana Scalifini at JEDCO. "Diana was GOD SENT!" he exclaims. She helped him secure a $50,000 loan. "That’s pennies to the dollar to open a restaurant, but I wasn’t giving up." He pulled together funds from his mom and girlfriend, even trading in his car for a cheaper SUV.
They found a tiny, 500-square-foot Vietnamese restaurant going out of business, which he later transformed into Yakuza House, a place where he could share his passion for Japanese cuisine. "We decided, wished, hoped, and prayed that it will work in this small spot." While still at ShoGun, Huy would "sneak off at breaktime and even after work to renovate the place," sometimes alone, sometimes with his brother-in-law.
He truly believes "God had given me a couple of good luck." With no room for dry storage, the upstairs unit became available. "A one small room where I end up living on an air bed also for half a year." Many of his customers never knew their chef was living above the restaurant, pouring everything into his dream. Just a month before opening, a massive ice storm burst the pipes, flooding the entire place. "In my mind, I thought it was all over," he remembers. But something inside him snapped. "Don't drop my flag that easily," he told himself. He "MAX’d out my credit cards to get what was needed to be repaired," and they pushed through. "The accomplishment and journey was so hard, but so rewarding."
Yakuza House: A Name That Speaks to the Soul of an "Outcast"
When it came time to name the restaurant, Huy Pham struggled. Then, it hit him. "Something came to me and told me to name it how you felt for your entire life and career." Huy often felt like an "outcast," especially among Japanese chefs, because he was a Vietnamese guy so hungry to learn their culture and cuisine. "I felt like I was a nuisance to them."
That’s how Yakuza House was born. While the term is associated with Japanese organized crime, its slang meaning, "outcast," resonated deeply with Huy. "YA means the number 8, KU means the number 9, ZA means the number 3," he explains. In an old Japanese card game, these numbers sum to zero, representing the worst possible hand. "Hence the slang term came loser = outkast, = you have a value of nothing."
"I named it Yakuza House because even when I was dealt with a losing hand most of my life, I never gave up," Huy Pham says with conviction. "Self-determination and discipline is something so powerful."
From a 16-Seat Dream to a Thriving Future
After a small pop-up, Yakuza House, known for its authentic Japanese cuisine, officially opened on March 1, 2021, with just 16 seats. Family and friends believed in Huy Pham and his vision, and word quickly spread. "We kept our heads down, worked harder than we ever did before, and now the banks believed in our concept," Huy recalls. This newfound trust allowed them to secure another loan, leading to Yakuza House 2, a bigger, more comfortable location. Huy and his brother-in-law once again worked tirelessly for six months to get it ready. "I would say this is the fastest journey from something so small to something so big in a short matter of time." Huy truly believes, "my life’s journey and lessons had always led me here; to be ready for this moment, all my failures in life, and obsession of wanting to learn, the opportunity to lead a team at 17-years-old, it all had an influence in the role I am today." He calls it "DELAYED GRATIFICATION at its finest hour." Although he doesn’t claim to be a "perfect leader," still learning every day, he's "grateful to have people that believed in me and my vision, and with the people won’t hesitate to help me correct my vision." Yakuza House is more than just a restaurant; it’s a living testament to Huy Pham’s refusal to give up, a celebration of the "outcast" who found his true place by building it himself.
