On the Job: Viet Taste

When you think Vietnamese food you may think noodles, glazed pork and spring rolls. And you would be right, those are just a few options that Viet Taste in Salisbury offers. 47 ABC takes us “On the Job” to see what goes on behind the scenes.

As soon as you walk through the doors of Viet Taste, the aroma is enough to make your mouth water. Lets get to the man behind it all, Gary Kelley. He’s the General Manager of Viet Taste, but tells us he owes it all to his mom. Growing up he watched her cook for hours but he didn’t know how and finally decided to learn.

Kelley says his cooks don’t read English so all orders must be written out in Vietnamese, and for those who aren’t as advanced as he is, there is a cheat sheet that servers can refer to. Kelley says Vietnamese is a tonal language so if you say one word differently it would be a totally different word.

While dishes are being prepped, servers must go to the side bar to get toppings ready. Every bowl of pho gets bean sprouts, fresh basil, fresh jalapenos, a lime wedge and fish sauce. Kelley says fish sauce enhances the flavor of the meat and broth and is basically what soy sauce is to Chinese.

Next up, it was time to make spring rolls made of rice paper, shrimp, lettuce, and noodles. The first step is dunking the rice paper in warm water to make it soft. Next you quickly bring it to the counter where you spread out your lettuce, bean sprouts and a few shrimp. After it’s all rolled up, a homemade peanut sauce is added to the dish for dipping. The results are amazing.

Next week, 47 ABC heads to Froggy 99.9 Studios to see what it’s like to work behind the scenes at a radio station! If you have an idea or would like to be featured on “On the Job” you can email Michelle at michelle_mackonochie@wmdt.com.