AA Garden Fusion

“We are living the American dream,” Ngan Ngo stated firmly as she began to tell the story of her family and how they came to create AA Garden Fusion, one of the most talked-about new eateries in New Smyrna Beach. It’s a phrase used so often that at times it loses its meaning, but when it comes to the story of her family and their successes in this country, it is no cliché. Arriving as a refugee in America all the way from Vietnam, her father, Sunny began work as a dishwasher in a Minnesota restaurant. After the first day, he said to himself “I did not come to America to do dishes,“ And quit the very next day. After a couple days of staying home, Ngan recounts, her father decided “You have to start somewhere.” He returned to dish washing and worked his way up to caterer, sous chef, then eventually head chef of the restaurant until he was able to buy out the business, all within just four years.

You can now find this industrious patriarch in AA Garden Fusion’s kitchen, alongside his daughter Ngan as they make sure every dish is executed with perfection. Family is the core of this restaurant, in more than one sense. The whole staff is considered family, including the American chefs brought in to inspire the fusion cuisine. Longtime and well-know chef Matthew Frost has been with the restaurant since its inception. He enjoys working at the restaurant and has brought home numerous awards, such as Gumbo, Chili, Chowder, and Suds and Spuds. Frost also known as the Dessert King is