CO NAM RESTAURANT - Key Persons
NorCal born and raised, Oakland native Moé Kobayashi began her kitchen career pursuing classic French pastry and competitive chocolate sculpting at the Notter School of Pastry Arts. After a brief stint in Carmel-by-the-Sea developing the bread and pastry menu for La Bicyclette, she set out to the Rhone-Alps for a position at La Bouitte.
Job Titles:
- Founder / Chef / Mixologist
I love food, and everything that goes into preparing a meal shared with friends and family. The joy and laughter recalls those dearest memories of my childhood spent moving and traveling through Vietnam, Laos & Thailand. Co Nam, brings comfort Vietnamese food with the occasional twists in a setting composed from pieces of my childhood memories. I hope you enjoy the food, drinks, and atmosphere as much as I enjoyed putting them together.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder
- Executive Chef
A creative, "epicurious" and well travelled chef, Vy's extensive training began with the California Culinary Academy where she graduated in 2002. While in school she built her repertoire of Vietnamese and Japanese recipes working at traditional Asian restaurants. After graduating she refined her technical skills while calling on her creativity at Postrio where for three years she worked closely alongside Mitchell Rosenthal, Co-Executive Chef with Wolfgang Puck.
With love for her country and curiosity in Asian cuisines and cultures, Vy educated herself further by traveling to Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan and Southeast Asia to learn traditional country recipes. Upon her return, Chef Vy successfully opened her restaurant Xyclo in Oakland in 2005, co-founded Co Nam in 2012 in San Francisco, and expanded Co Nam to Oakland in 2018.
Classic recipes are transformed stunningly with the freshest ingredients combining classical with modern techniques resulting in flavorful and aromatic dishes. Despite the complex pairing of herbs and spices, Vy's culinary concept is simple in form and execution. "I want to give our customers the traditional palette with modern freshness and aromas that is of the present."