THE FOUNDER'S STORY

In 1976, Francis Nguyễn Văn Hội set foot in Germany in the middle of winter, without a penny to his name. His first job was washing dishes in the basement of a Bavarian eatery. Years later, he undertook formal culinary training and became the first Vietnamese person in Bavaria to earn the title of Küchenmeister — Master Chef — before rising to the position of restaurant manager. But he did not stop at his own success.
“I once didn't have a single penny, yet in the end I became a successful chef. If we can bring that way of training back to Vietnam, we will give young people a similar chance.”
Returning to Saigon, he started over from scratch — this time to teach others. What he saw in many poor young people was not only a lack of money, but a lack of belief in themselves. He believed that could change: not through pity, but through a real trade, learned seriously in a real environment.
From that belief, he founded Anrê Mai Sen — a three-year training program in cooking, service and baking for young people in difficulty, following German professional standards. Carrying the spirit of the Salesians of Don Bosco — who devote their lives to poor youth — he poured his heart into every class. Today, that journey continues under a new name: Francis Restaurant School.
Though well over seventy, he is still beside his students every day. When asked whether he misses Germany, he answers simply:
“I miss all of it. But I have a mission to complete.”