Rolling With Legacy: Crustacean’s “Little C” Street Bites Brings Vietnamese Soul to Beverly Hills
By Lorenzo Dela Rama
Chef Helene An, Crustacean Founder (Inductee 2022)
On a breezy May afternoon in Beverly Hills, Crustacean didn’t just serve lunch—it opened the door to something that’s been waiting for the right time. Hosted by the legendary An family, “Little C” was a limited-seat preview of their new Vietnamese street bites menu built not for spectacle but for people who understand that food is memory. The event landed just as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month wrapped, and the timing couldn’t have felt more right.
“I just wanted to do something fun,” said Elizabeth An, CEO of House of An, as she passed around fresh herbs and thin sheets of rice paper. “It’s about sharing what mama’s been holding onto all these years. Now we get to bring it out and say, this is what real Vietnamese food tastes like. This is us.”
In the background, Chef Helene “Mama” An moved with ease. She didn’t need to say much—her recipes spoke loud enough. For decades, she led the family’s restaurants with her signature fusion style, but as Elizabeth told it, this lunch was different. “This one’s all her. The phở, the rolls, the grilled prawns—it’s what she’s always wanted to serve. But 50 years ago, the world wasn’t ready. Now it is.
“50 years ago, the world wasn’t ready. Now it is.”
The menu leaned traditional, but never stiff. Filet mignon phở with leeks and Vietnamese celery. Brisket phở with a clean, slow-cooked broth. Grilled calamari dusted with turmeric and paired with housemade sauces. Crab-stuffed crispy rolls, garden rolls with eggplant and purple yam, and banana blossom salad tossed with lotus root and lime. Every dish carried the feeling of something passed down carefully, not mass-produced.
Chef Agero Nagano, who helped shape the menu alongside the family, reflected on what it meant to present these flavors in Beverly Hills. “It’s exciting,” he said. “You don’t usually get street food like this here. It’s something new, but also very old. Very real. I’m honored to help carry that.” When asked which dish he gravitated toward, he didn’t hesitate. “The beef phở. Mama’s broth is clean, deep. It feels like something spiritual.”
“Mama’s broth is clean, deep. It feels like something spiritual.”
Maki Hsieh, Soogie Kang, Karen Ang
Guests weren’t just offered food—they were welcomed with Vietnamese iced coffee poured straight into chilled coconuts, sipped alongside cocktails that leaned playful and tropical. It felt festive without trying too hard. And like everything else on the menu, it was served with intention.
Adrian Dev
Actor Adrian Dev, known for his work on Hacks, Obi-Wan, and the upcoming Good Fortune, was there too, soaking it all in. “I grew up on bành mì in Houston,” he said. “But this? This is sacred. It’s a reminder of where we come from, and what we’re capable of becoming.” As a member of SAG-AFTRA’s AAPI Committee, Dev sees events like this as more than social outings. “It’s about being in community. And for anyone trying to break into film or media—especially Asians—my advice is simple: bet on yourself. Our families want the best for us, but they don’t always know what that is. You have to find that for yourself.”
That idea—of honoring where you come from while making space for who you’re becoming—seemed to be the unspoken thread of the afternoon. Greeting guests with calm confidence was Maki Hsieh, President and CEO of the Asian Hall of Fame, whose perspective brought even more meaning to the day. “This is more than just a lunch,” she said. “It’s an immersive experience. It’s legacy in motion where heritage can be seen, heard and brought to life together.”
Catherine An, Maki Hsieh, Mama An, Elizabeth An
“This is more than just a lunch. It’s an immersive experience. It’s legacy in motion.”
Gordon Clune, Elizabeth An, Nicole Ho, Kien Tran
Also present were Miss Asia USA Nicole Ho and Team USA ballroom dancer, each quietly enjoying the meal, connecting with guests, and representing the next generation of Asian excellence—artists and ambassadors showing up not for attention, but to stand with a family and a community they believe in.
Danielle, a member of the extended An family, summed it up in her own way: “Elizabeth just wanted to bring the food her mom—and our grandma—made for us growing up. Not fancy fusion, but the food we ate at home, on the street, with our hands.” Her favorite dish? “The grilled calamari. It was sweet, juicy, and wrapped in so much flavor. And the prawns in the rice paper—no one’s done that here before."
Reagan To, Julianna To
As lunch wrapped, guests dipped their final rolls, finished their jasmine tea sorbet, sipped their coconut coffees dry, and chatted like people who hadn’t just shared a meal, but something heavier and more intimate. There were no big speeches. Just food, community, and the quiet power of showing up for each other.
Little C wasn’t created for a headline. It came from a place that means a lot to the An family, a place where it brings the culture of Vietnam front and center for everyone to enjoy — where spring rolls are rolled by hand, broth takes hours, and stories are told without needing to be sold. In a city that often chases the next thing, Crustacean gave us something grounded to come back to.
