Tammy Huynh

Age40

BackgroundHuynh grew up in Vung Tau, Vietnam, ``a coastal town like Santa Cruz,'' 60 miles south of Saigon, now known as Ho Chi Minh City. She and her family came to the United States in 1977 with ``nothing but the shirts on our backs.'' After earning a doctorate, Huynh started her own pharmacy in 1987. Two years earlier, her mother opened a Vietnamese restaurant in San Jose. Huynh enjoyed the pharmaceutical work, but she shared her mother's interest in the restaurant business. ``Somehow, I ended up a chef. Just like my mom.'' Huynh opened up Tamarine in mid-October with her niece, Ann. Today, Huynh's family owns five restaurants in the San Jose area. She lives in Fremont and is currently raising three boys, ages 13, 11 and 9.

On American-Vietnamese foodHuynh is toeing the delicate line of serving traditional food and trying to gain American appeal. ``I don't want to lose my roots. I want to use Vietnamese ingredients, but I want to make it more attractive to the American palate. Vietnamese food mainly uses lemon grass, and we marinade with ginger, garlic and lime leaves. Sometimes it's too strong for Americans, so I use soy sauce instead and add a bit more herbs like rosemary thyme.'' It's important to assimilate the menu, ``but not lose our touch.''

Personal favoriteHa Long Bay soup. ``The chicken broth is green from the asparagus, cilantro and spinach. I add coconut milk, lime and lemon juice. Then I add marinated crabmeat and some chives. The soup is very mellow, mild and soothing.''

Most popular The Tamarine prawns. Huynh tosses jumbo marinated prawns in a wok filled with leeks instead of onions for ``better flavor.'' Before serving, she opens the shell at the base of the prawn so that the meat smoothly falls out. The prawns are served on a bed of fried noodles.

Home cooking``My kids all like different food. My oldest loves American Italian food. He will not eat Vietnamese food, but he eats pasta every day, so I know a lot about Italian cooking. My other son eats Vietnamese every day, and with the other, it's Chinese. I tell them not to follow in Mom's footsteps. Being a chef is too much work.''

Favorite ingredients``I love chicken. It's so easy and it's tasty. You can saute it, deep fry, grill it, poach it. . . . We serve a caramelized chicken, sauteed with lemon grass, ginger, red hot peppers and a side dish of bean sprouts. Sweet and spicy, good for the winter.''

Reach the restaurant546 University Ave. Palo Alto, (650) 325-8500.

-- Michael Flaherty