Thai Nguyen still remembers the day that he was taken from Vietnam. Fortunately, that move was for the best as Nguyen has created the award wining New Saigon Restaurant in Denver with his loving wife and chef. Next door t this establishment his daughters run the New Saigon Bakery and deli, which has also been a success.

On a recent bone-cold winter afternoon, years removed from his native Vietnam, Thai Nguyen's gaze took in the spacious expanse of New Saigon Restauranton South Federal Boulevard. What he saw had to warm him.

The award-winning establishment Nguyen runs with his chef/wife, Ha Pham, was packed with diners inhaling steaming bowls of pho delivered from the kitchen by a bustling cadre of waiters. Next door at New Saigon Bakery & Deli, operated by two of his five daughters, customers lined up for banh mi sandwiches and pastries while workers wrapped presents for the Tet New Year's holiday, which is Saturday.

Read More on denverpost.com