(upbeat music) - How are you?

- How are you?

You made it.

What can I get for you today?

Vietnamese food has been a big part of my life, and the freshness of it, the vibrancy and the flavor is something that I really wanted to share with our community in a very approachable, warm, loving way.

Cheers to our health!

- Yes, ma'am!

Blessings to you.

- Yeah, blessed.

(food sizzling) - [Emmanuel] It was really hard to introduce authentic Mexican on a state that you don't really find that too much.

- Yeah.

- [Emmanuel] So when we introduced it, people would come and be like, "Okay, what is it?

No, I don't want to try that."

And people would just get up and leave.

But then when people try it, they're like, "Oh my god, this is the best I ate in a Mexican restaurant," you know?

- So you move up.

(laughing) You know what I love about food?

I love to see people eat food.

I really enjoy seeing people eat food.

I like when they're licking their fingers, and they're like, oh, taking pictures of the food.

That just makes me so happy.

One person said to me once, "If I was going to the electric chair, and this is my last meal, I want it to be from Jamaicaway."

- What a compliment.

- I was like- - That is something.

- I was like, I heard you said yes.

(bright upbeat music) (vibrant upbeat music) I'll let you taste the cabbage first.

- Perfect.

Thank you.

- You're welcome.

- Known for its Southern hospitality, meat and three diners, and smokehouse barbecue joints, Music City has a solid reputation for all things country.

In fact, that home-cooked Southern appeal has made Nashville an attractive location, not just for tourists, but for global migrants.

People hungry for opportunity, and eager to put down roots, at least, that was the case for Ouida Bradshaw, owner and culinary captain at Jamaicaway Restaurant here in the Nashville Farmer's Market.

Years ago, Ouida brought the flavors of her home country, Jamaica, to her adopted home in Nashville, Tennessee.

And along the way, she cultivated a hybrid philosophy, accounting for traditional Southern tastes and classic Caribbean flavors.

It might even be fair to call Ouida a pioneer in Nashville's booming global food scene.

- [Ouida] So in Jamaica, when they're drinking soup, they like to see yellow, like orangey.

So I'm gonna blend up some of this and pour it back in there.

- Jamaicaway is no stranger to the Nashville food scene, and y'all have been an anchor here at the Nashville Farmer's Market.

So how long have you been in this space?

- Well, we have moved from a little tiny space, and now we have this bigger space, and I think we have made changes at least four times since we've been here, 21 years.

We like change.

I hope this is the final change.

I'm too old for this.

(both laugh) I am too old for this.

- What made you gravitate to the Farmer's Market of different kind of options in the city?

- I'm gonna give the credit to God, 'cause I didn't know what I was doing when I first started.

- Yeah.

- I used to be a schoolteacher, and I used to always say to my kids, "You know, one day I'm gonna flip burgers."

- Okay.

- I did.

And so I came from Boston.

Boston, Massachusets.

- Uh-huh.

- Where I worked in the Boston Public School for 21 years.

When I was a schoolteacher, I taught fourth grade, and I gave my kids a challenge every year.

Perfect attendance, good behavior, passing in your homework, doing well on your tests.

And every time you accomplish all these goals, I'm gonna give you a luncheon.

So at the end of the school year, for the next school year, all the kids wanted to be in my class because of the food that I would make for them.

So that was a start for me.

And after 21 years as a teacher, I decided I was getting burnt out, and I decided to come to the South.

(vibrant upbeat music) - [Meg] So what was rewarding to you about sharing meals with others, and just kind of everything that's involved in hospitality and food?

- [Ouida] You know what I love about food?

I love to see people eat food.

I really enjoy seeing people eat food.

I like when they're licking their fingers, and they're like, oh, taking pictures of the food.

That just makes me so happy.

- Did you have any sort of inspiration about the Jamaican cuisine?

- Well, my parents are Jamaican.

We came to the United States, it was 1969, before you were even born.

- True.

(both laughing) - 1969, we migrated to Boston, Massachusets, and so to be honest with you, I do not cook food the traditional way like Jamaicans do.

(record scratching) - Okay, what's the difference?

- So like you know, jerk chicken.

I don't cook it the traditional way.

First of all, in Jamaica, when they're making jerk chicken, they use it, like it's usually cooked on the outside, outside, on the roadside, or outside.

And they use a big drum, and they usually use pimento wood, which give the flavor to the jerk.

- Yeah.

- We don't have that.

We don't have access to that, in Nashville, anyway.

And I just decided that, you know, let me see all the things that goes into making these food.

And if my mom was alive, and she see the way that I make, like, rice and peas, she would say, "That's not the way to do it."

So I just do things totally different, from most traditional way of cooking.

I mean, you go to Jamaica and say, "Oh, can I have some mild boneless jerk chicken?"

They're gonna look at you like, what are you talking about?

- Mild boneless, okay.

- I made up those things.

- Yeah.

- Only because, you know, I studied the demographic in Nashville, and I wanted, we're in the Deep South.

People want sauce.

They want it to be smothered in sauce.

People literally buy cups of sauces, and I'm like, what are you gonna do with it?

- So in Jamaica, kind of the sauce on the side wouldn't really be a thing?

- No.

- Interesting.

- I made it up.

- You made it up?

- I made it up, for all the people in the South.

- Okay, so- - I was gonna do exactly what they wanted.

- Is it fair to say it's kinda like Jamaican food, but served to a Southern audience, and so embellished a little bit to fit those palettes?

- Precisely.

And it does have the same flavor as you're eating jerk chicken.

But the way the presentation, the way I prepare it is a little different.

- And so they're aren't a ton of Jamaican restaurants in Nashville.

Was it hard to get people excited?

'Cause right now there's a line outside the business, so you're thriving.

But did you have a little bit of an uphill to get people interested?

- For the first three years of opening Jamaicaway, I never got paid.

- Oh.

- Because, I don't know, it was so hard.

People were not willing to taste the food.

We used to literally, begging people, "Oh, taste this, taste this."

- Free samples and stuff?

- Yes!

We used to, and they were like, "Oh, this tastes good."

And that's how we literally lure them in.

- [Meg] I see.

- I remember when we started selling oxtail- - [Meg] Yeah, 'cause that's not something that- - [Ouida] We would buy 10 pounds of oxtail and try to sell it for the whole week.

Now we are doing, like, 400 pounds of oxtail a week.

- [Meg] I was gonna ask, what's your most popular menu item, then?

- [Ouida] Oxtail, followed by jerk chicken.

- [Meg] Okay.

- And then, we have a lot of things.

Chicken tenders, mango chutney chicken.

I made that up.

Don't go to a Jamaica restaurant and say, "Oh, can I have some mango chutney chicken?"

They will not know what you're talking about.

So I just kind of, you know, changed stuff around.

- Yeah.

- And people love it.

- With all this talk of food, I decided I better get in line.

The lunch scene at Nashville Farmer's Market is hopping, and Jamaicaway has no shortage of hungry customers.

Something that really stood out to me as I surveyed their menu is the sheer variety of options.

From vegetarian favorites, like veggie fried chicken, spicy jerk soy, sweet plantains, and seasoned catfish, to meat-based dishes like curry goat, jerk wings, and brown stew chicken, Jamaicaway has something for everyone.

The real challenge isn't what you choose.

It's where to sit.

Jamaicaway's oxtail is definitely a unique menu item at the Nashville Farmer's Market, but you can really see the influence of Southern palettes, and meat and three culture with the sides.

Collared greens, mac and cheese, and peach tea.

- [Ouida] I'm always praying for us to be successful, not just Jamaicaway, but anyone who is in this building, for them to be as successful.

I try to give them ideas as to what they can do to allow their business to grow.

Be friendly to everybody, and let them feel welcome.

Let them know that you care about them.

I think that's one of the reasons why Jamaicaway is so successful.

(upbeat music) - Okay, Thomas?

- There's nothing quite like a picnic in the shade on a warm day in Tennessee.

But couldn't you say that about pretty much anywhere?

What if you could transport this picnic table to, say, Saigon?

Where you might trade a pork pulled sandwich for a pork belly banh mi?

That, or you could just grab a seat at Vui's Kitchen.

With four Nashville locations to choose from, you can sample the flavors of Vietnamese cuisine in a setting that, according to owner, Vui Hunt, is reminiscent of a street side cafe in her home country.

So today, we're in Berry Hill, and seeing two of your locations here, the juice bar, and Vui's Kitchen.

How long have you been in the restaurant business?

Could you tell us a little bit about your journey and where it started?

- I got started when I was 19.

It was my second year in college.

I started working at this vegetarian restaurant in Atlanta, and day one turned into 10 years.

I had no idea anything about the restaurant world.

I considered myself an introvert then, shy.

I didn't think that I could pull it off.

It was challenging, but at the same time, I felt natural at serving people.

Aside from the food, I think that's the people that really helped shape me, the person that I am today.

I got to serve and meet, and build relationships over the years.

- What kept you in the food and hospitality industry?

Was it that connection to the people, or what about kind of the food aspects in general that made you wanna come back?

- You know, culturally, food is a way of life, right?

Food is something that we do to gather with our family.

Growing up, it's a big deal, because we cook together, we prep together.

My job was to pick herbs and wash the dishes until I got elevated into other roles, but cooking with family, building community within the family dynamic was a big part, it came naturally.

I honestly didn't plan or have this vision of becoming a restaurateur or business owner in the way that I am today, and I'm grateful for that.

(soft music) Growing up, I watched my mom.

She was, I call her hustler.

(Meg laughs) She was a single mom, raising all of us.

My mom fought for us to come to America to have this amazing opportunity, and I'm just so proud of her.

She sacrificed so much.

- It sounds like she really inspired you with a lot of the businesses that you've created, and- - She has.

Everything is icing on the cake for me.

I don't think I, I've always had this positive attitude and mindset about life.

It's always so simple.

Have a simple way of approaching it.

I don't ever have a bad day, honestly.

You can say that I'm lying, but I'm not.

I really don't ever have a bad day.

Hard day, yes.

- Sure.

- But it's always- - Well, you're so positive.

You just have this positive energy.

I believe you when you say that.

- Okay, you can tap or insert right there.

That's your cold brew.

Shake it up and enjoy.

- Thank you.

(Vui laughs) - What?

What?

Shake it up and enjoy?

(laughing) - So in your journey, what brought you to Nashville specifically?

- [Vui] My husband.

He's a Nashville native.

- Okay.

- [Vui] So we had just gotten married in 2008, and we decided to start life over in his hometown.

- [Meg] So then what was the impetus for Vui's Kitchen?

- Vietnamese food has been a big part of my life, and the freshness of it, the fragrancy and the flavor is something that I really wanted to share with our community, and so we had our business, a juice bar first, and this location opened up, and it was a good prime time for us to do so.

And that's how it happened.

It's just really the, the goal was to share food I grew up with in a friendly, approachable, warm loving way.

And I feel like we accomplished that with Vui's, and we're fortunate enough to really attract amazing people along the way.

All the staff that we have come from many different generations and cultures and background, and they are honestly the backbone of Vui's Kitchen.

(upbeat music) - Let's talk about the menu, because it's amazing.

What's the most popular dish?

- I think that any time of the year, pho is a really, really popular dish, especially during the winter months, colder season.

- [Meg] What all does pho entail?

- Well, pho, it's a craft in itself.

It's an over 12 hour process of bone broth that's cooked down, and to achieve this amazing elixir, that broth, that's just really nourishing and warming and comforting, it's like your grandma's chicken noodle soup.

So this is our national dish, and we serve it over fresh rice noodles, and we top it off with a protein of choice, whether you're a vegetarian, or you enjoy chicken or beef, we top it off with the proteins, and then we top it off again with crunchy bean sprouts, and other herbs, and flavors.

- So say I come in and I really want a punch of flavor, but I'm trying to stay healthy.

What recommendation would you have?

- Gosh.

So many things is good on the menu, especially during the summer months, like a bean salad.

It's fresh, it's crunchy, it has the cabbage, and the arugula, and the romaine, and you get a protein on it, and the protein has a little scallion oil, and we have so many yummy dressings that is very, just really, really delicious to go with it.

(vibrant upbeat music) - So I know there's a Vietnamese sandwich that is gaining in popularity, the banh mi.

Could you tell us about the one you serve here at Vui's Kitchen, and what makes it unique or special?

- Our banh mi is fantastic.

Traditionally, it's made with a baguette.

Ours on a hoagie roll that we toast it really well on a flat top, and it's made with our house made dairy-free mayo, along with house pate.

It's just the best of both worlds.

It's like a salad and sandwich in one, because it's filled with crunchy pickle and daikon and carrots, fresh jalapeno and cilantro and arugula, and lettuce and cucumber.

I'm salivating talking about it.

(laughing) I usually like it with fried eggs.

- Okay.

- And it's just the ultimate.

(bright upbeat music) - Hearing about all the items on Vui's menu is one thing, but as the kitchen began heating up, the aroma captured my attention, and before long, lunch was served.

I'm a big fan of a dumpling, and I already know that I love Vui's dumplings.

So.

Magic in your mouth.

Just the right amount of spice.

Got your hearty meat in there.

Love it.

One thing I really love about this location is your outdoor seating.

I almost feel like I can just come here, and then have a picnic.

- Actually, this space feels very Vietnam, because Vietnam is very tight, when you're in Saigon.

But in all the spaces, there is an outdoor scene to it, so people would sit and gather outside where it's cool, really close to the ground, and our kitchen here in Berry Hill is really a reflection of that.

We want our community to gather together in our outdoor space, to congregate, and to enjoy food, with our vibrant and happy music, to just very inviting.

It makes me think of just very much similar to how a Vietnamese cafe restaurant would be, vibrant with the colors and the landscape, and the people, and the eating, the chatting, the conversation, and so we're really proud of that.

- I think it's fair to say that you really represent what so many people coming to the US aspire to.

What are your hopes for the immigrants of tomorrow and their journeys?

- To stay resilient, to be determined, and to never give up, because there will be people that will support them, your community, your neighbors' neighbors, and people in the community who are willing to really help and support, because that's how our family got the help that we got when we first arrived, is through just a different organization, the International Rescue Community, all the volunteers that were a part of that, the neighbors, and just immigrants before us, and just know that it may be hard at times, the language barrier, getting around, not speaking the language, and just really to rely on other people for the help and support, and just never give up.

(vibrant upbeat music) - Much of the so-called Mexican food we experience in the United States is actually a domestic creation, best known as Tex-Mex, and while this staple of the American diet is tasty and well-loved, it lacks the authenticity of food from, say, San Luis Potosi, Mexico.

That's the birthplace of two brothers, who spent many years in the United States wishing they could share the flavors of home with their fellow Nashvillians.

Now, they have their own restaurant.

It's called Dos Carnales, and authenticity is their secret sauce.

Tell us a little bit more about your menu, and what makes it distinct from other Mexican restaurants you might find here in Tennessee.

- Well, we are from San Luis Potosi, Mexico, and we have very authentic place over there that we serve in our restaurants.

I think enchilada has to come with sauce.

It can be green sauce, it can be red sauce, it can be, but you don't put cheese sauce on enchiladas, okay?

But even that, we call it tacos rojos, which is very close to what people know as enchiladas, but the process to make them, it's probably 15 to 20 minutes.

It's not five minutes like enchiladas, okay?

So, it's a different way to go on the food, and it's just hard for people to understand until they try the taste.

It's like you eat in our home.

- We have stuff, like it's called gordita.

I don't know, you ever try it before?

It's like- - I have not.

I'm thinking of the gorditas from Taco Bell, and I know they're not the same.

- It's a handmade tortilla, but it's kind of thick, and then as soon as it's ready, you just open it, like you slice it, and put the stuff in there.

But we have very, very authentic stuff, like pork belly is called chicharron.

- Oh, chicharron.

- And red sauce, we have chicharron, and green sauce.

Rajas, which is sliced poblano pepper, you know, cook it in red sauce, so that give it the kick to be kind of spicy.

That's why people like it.

We have cactus, cook it in the red sauce, too.

We have different style, like eggs, cook it in red sauce, and green sauce, I mean, all kind of stuff.

That's stuff that you don't really see in any of the restaurants, you know?

(bright upbeat music) - I'm here with Susie and Jose, and they actually told me all about Dos Carnales, so I wanted to ask what is it that you really love about this place?

- Well, thank you Megan, for coming.

I really wanted you guys to come here and try this amazing food.

(Jose speaking Spanish) (Jose continues speaking Spanish) (Jose continues speaking Spanish) - [Meg] Any dishes in particular that you don't really see in Mexico, that you see here in the US more?

- Chimichanga, the fajitas, that's one of the pieces that they, pretty much, they made it here, you know?

The different stuff that we don't really do in Mexico.

So that's why we came up with the idea to bring something very, very authentic, you know, from Mexico, so they can see the difference.

- [Emmanuel] It was really hard to introduce authentic Mexican on a state that you don't really find that too much.

When we introduced it, people would come and be like, okay.

What is this?

Can you explain the menu?

So after you explain to them, they'll give you the chance to try it.

- Yeah.

- 'Cause some people, they will just get up and leave.

Be like, "You know what, I'm not trying this."

- That happens?

- Because it looks so spicy.

- Oh.

- Like the taco rajos.

You see the taco rajos, they look super spicy.

And you see the pepper flakes in there, you're like, "No, I don't want to try that."

And people will just get up and leave.

- Oh no.

- But then when people try it, they're like, "Oh my god, this is the best I ate in a Mexican restaurant," you know?

- I wanna hear a little bit more about the story of Dos Carnales, the evolution, and what inspired you to start this business?

Because it's always a risk, so what made you wanna take it?

- The main thing is like, we've been here for so many years in this country, so we eat pretty much everywhere.

Our wives, they cook at home, on the weekends, you know, for the family, and we be like, hey.

We wanna try to introduce the real Mexican food, you know?

As soon as they try, they love it.

So that's when we come up with the idea.

Let's try, you know?

I mean, we don't lose nothing but money.

I mean, we never try, then we'll never know.

(Meg speaking Spanish) (Norma speaking Spanish) We've been in business for six years already, and thank god people are still coming back.

That's our pleasure, to take care of them, and make them happy.

- [Meg] Tell us about the name, Dos Carnales.

- It's like a slang name of two brothers in Mexico.

Carnales is a really strong word.

- [Meg] Well carne, meat, right?

- You are actually, yeah, you're like- - Flesh and blood, I guess.

- It's like more than brothers, it's more like friends, like partners, and all that involved.

- And this is not your only business, from what I understand.

Across different businesses, you have upwards of 15 folks depending on you.

Could you tell me whereabouts your other ventures?

- We have this Mexican restaurant, the barbecue place, and the body shop.

It's a mechanic shop, but it's like a full service.

- What does it take to be an entrepreneur in a competitive city like Nashville?

- I think first of all, it takes sacrifices.

(bright upbeat music) You get to the point sometimes that you are deep in a hole, looking for solutions, and all you have left is stuff that you gotta sacrifice.

You end up selling everything just to keep going.

And believe me, that is worth it.

It is worth it to keep going, for the kids, family, and having someone on your side to help you out at home, like I said.

It's really grateful.

And I'm talking about family, our kids and everything.

That makes you keep going.

- The main part, like he said, is the support from our families.

(soft Spanish music) We usually have to get up very early in the morning to get everything ready, and we don't really see our kids for so long, because they have to go to school, so when we wake up, they're sleeping.

When you come back at night, they are already sleeping again, because they're getting ready for the next day to go to school.

But we have to sacrifice a lot, because everything we do is for them, to have them better life, you know?

- A lot of customers that are here now, they're our really good friends.

It's very impressive how you can have a people that it's not even close to you becoming your regular friend.

- Yeah.

- And friends that you have for a very long time, that are not even here, and I hear a saying that it's easier to get a customer to be your friend than a friend to be your customer.

And I learned that with time, and it is very true.

And actually right now, we have customers that are really close, really, really close friends, and we love that.

(bright upbeat music) - [Meg] Thank you for watching "Next Door Neighbors: Flavors Without Borders".

If you enjoyed this episode, you can check out all our content on the free PBS app.

Later, neighbor.

(soft music)