It is with all his love for gastronomy and his talent as a cook that Doàn Kim Lan has decided to open the K Hotpot restaurant.
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| Doàn Kim Lan, founder of K Hotpot. |
| Photo: BDT / CVN |
Having won the hearts of Americans with its sweet and sour hotpot recipes, the restaurant has become a popular destination.
Young Vietnamese who emigrated to the United States in recent years have brought many innovative ideas and business models, such as the restaurant chain K Hotpot owned by owner Doàn Kim Lan.
Known for its beauty, it has been quite famous since the 2000s. She has worked as an inspirational muse for many brands such as Hazeline and Kotex.
In 2014, this young woman moved to the United States to settle there with her small family. Missing her hometown, Kim Lan wants to find a way to connect with the Vietnamese. It was her passion for her gastronomy that led her to open her restaurant that she called K Hotpot. She and her husband are not only chefs, but also cashiers and managers.
According to Kim Lan, since he was young, he has been able to analyze the ingredients in dishes. He manages, in every country, to find the ingredients of a dish just by tasting it, and then reusing them to cook them as he pleases.
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| The K-Hotpot restaurant. |
| Photo: VDL / CVN |
The restaurant’s operations were hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, so the couple had to find ways to pay for rent and labor costs. Thanks to their efforts, the restaurant survived and found great success in Denver, United States.
After the constraints and closures due to the pandemic, K Hotpot was able to reopen, welcoming famous American influencers who were particularly impressed by the spicy and sour hot pot. Word of mouth doing her job, the restaurant’s notoriety grew and her name spread quickly. Regardless of the weather, customers queue an hour before opening to make sure they get a table.
The pandemic represented a huge challenge for accommodations, but the enthusiasm and relentless efforts of Kim Lan and her team allowed K Hotpot to stand and emerge stronger and better known. Many Vietnamese stars, passing through Denver, take their time to go there, and some customers dine there up to six times a week!
Kim Lan is firmly convinced that, in the culinary industry, the fundamentals must be preserved both in the ingredients and in the ways of doing things. In pursuit of perfection, he continues to improve his skills to create ever more fantastic new dishes.
Van Du / CVN
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