Sodexo Inc. has signed a 10-year master retail license agreement with celebrity chef Mai Pham to bring her latest concept, Star Ginger Asian Grill & Noodle Bar, to Sodexo operations across the country. The concept is scheduled to debut this fall at Sodexo-managed accounts at universities and colleges, and its corporate client segment. It also will be the first stand-alone Southeast Asian retail platform for Sodexo.
Pham created Star Ginger based on the flavors and culinary insights she gathered and crafted while operating restaurants, writing cookbooks, teaching, consulting, and conducting research in Asia throughout the last 20 years.
“Star Ginger is inspired by the street foods that I grew up with in Vietnam and later in Thailand. It’s fresh, Asian food-on-the-run — food that doesn’t depend on expensive ingredients yet delivers high-impact flavors,” she said. “The concept represents how we want to eat today — more healthfully, with a bigger focus on quality ingredients and a good measure of culinary adventure.”
The menu will include the best of Pham’s newly opened Star Ginger restaurant in Sacramento, Calif., as well as her nationally acclaimed Lemon Grass Restaurant. Dishes include the Vietnamese beloved pho noodle soup, salad rolls, wok-fried rice noodles including pad Thai, aromatic curries, and Pham’s take on Vietnamese toasted banh mi sandwiches.
The core of the Sodexo Star Ginger menu is built around Vietnamese and Thai flavors, with supplemental flavors added over time from other parts of Southeast Asia, Korea and India. The concept features three menu options to choose from depending on demographic and location; the smallest, “express” menu options range from noodle bowls to Vietnamese sandwiches, while the larger, more elaborate menus will include grilled dishes, salads and rice bowls.
“Consumer data shows that our guests are looking for adventuresome and exotic flavors and bringing the fresh, bright authentic flavors of Star Ginger and Southeast Asia to Sodexo clients fills an important role in our brand portfolio,” said John Nappier, vice president of business development for Sodexo’s Retail Brand Group. “These on-trend Asian flavors, together with Chef Mai Pham’s expertise and ability to inspire others with her passion for the flavors of her native Southeast Asia, create an unbeatable combination to offer our clients.”
