Anna & Ni NguyenAnna & Ni Nguyen

Ni and Anna met in culinary school, at the International Culinary Center in San Jose, California. This is where the dream of Sắp Sửa began.

Prior to culinary school, Ni had been working the phở station at his mom's restaurant, NiBI Phở Bistro in Commerce, California. Anna had primarily been working at The Little Bird Bakeshop in Fort Collins, Colorado. After culinary school, Ni went to work at Hachi Ju Hachi, in Saratoga, California, where he studied traditional Japanese cuisine under chef and mentor Jin Suzuki. This is really where he learned the importance of discipline, and humility while cooking. Anna went onto a few different jobs, but Babette's Artisan Boulangerie being one of the most influential. After getting married, they moved to Los Angeles California, and landed jobs at Animal Restaurant, and Osteria Mozza. Their time in Los Angeles greatly influenced their styles as chefs. Under Nancy Silverton they learned the importance, and value in a natural plating style. During the Covid-19 pandemic, they realized it was time to move back to Colorado, where Anna grew up, to start pursuing opening up their own restaurant. At Sắp Sửa, they focus on maintaining the integrity of traditional dishes, in terms of flavor and feeling, but cooking and plating in a style reminiscent of their Los Angeles experience, and Ni's experience as a 1st generation Vietnamese American.