Phnom Penh Noodle House

Sam Ung, the Founder of Seattle’s Phnom Penh Noodle House, Has Died | Eater Seattle

"Founder Sam Ung has died from a heart attack at the age of 70. Ung began in the restaurant business as a child in Battambang, chopping meat and vegetables in his parents’ restaurant when he was just 14 years old; after the Khmer Rouge came to power he and his pregnant wife, Kim, fled first to a refugee camp and eventually to Seattle. In 1987 he opened the restaurant — one of the city’s early Cambodian-owned businesses — and his daughter Dianne told the Met, “I remember him saying how many people didn’t believe in him. He set out to prove them all wrong.” The spot became a hub for Seattle’s Cambodian community; Ung passed the business to his daughters in 2013, later retired and returned to Cambodia, but continued cooking for and feeding neighbors there: “You would see photos of probably 50 to 100 people,” his daughter Diane said. “He would just feed them and send them off with a little bit of money in a red envelope to bless them.” The restaurant temporarily closed after a family health tragedy and reopened in 2020 thanks to a crowdfunding campaign and a grant from the city (there’s a noted photo of Ung with then–Mayor Jenny Durkan). His daughters are expected to plan a celebration of his life and are posting updates on the restaurant’s Instagram." - Harry Cheadle