SPECIALT Y FRESH FISH EVERY FRIDAY
Volare restaurant ser ves modern Italian cuisine with Southern hospitality. Chef Josh Moore combines exper t skills with his passion for using locally sourced and house -made produc ts.
Roots
1216 BARDSTOWN ROAD LOUISVILLE, KY 40204 (502) 452-6688
T 502.894.4446 V O L A R E - R E S TA U R A N T. C O M 2 3 0 0 F R A N K F O R T AV E N U E LO U I S V I L L E , K Y 4 0 2 0 6 90 TOPS LOUISVILLE | October 2019
he tagline for the upscale vegetarian restaurant Roots - “mindful, compassionate cooking” - can be felt in every Asian and Vietnamese dish served, and in the care of its gentle, stalwart owner Huong “CoCo” Thien Tran. CoCo came to the United States with her family in 1975 at the age of 29 to escape Communism and, more specifically, to Louisville because her brother was here studying at the University of Louisville’s Speed School of En-
gineering. A fast food meal soon after her arrival inspired her to open The Egg Roll Machine, followed by Café Mimosa, Zen Garden, and other successful restaurant ventures in Asian cuisine. At Roots, the tapas-style menu of interpreted Asian favorites and Vietnamese specialties, along with an impressive tea selection, are every bit as inspiring as CoCo’s story. She tells of how deeply she loves the environment, her adopted country, this city, and her customers. In turn, CoCo is inspired by the younger clientele who introduce their parents to vegetarian food at Roots, many of whom claim they would have turned vegetarian long ago if they knew it could be so good.