Wayne Vitali's unexpected journey from a shed in a parking lot to owning Rexburg's thriving Vietnamese restaurant, Kingdom of Pho, underscores his passion for authentic cuisine and community service. Kingdom of Pho a successful Vietnamese restaurant which is now located on main street owned and operated by Wayne Vitali.
For Vitali growing up around a variety of cultural flavors ignited his love for food. That love increased as he experienced international dishes during his U.S. Military service overseas. However, opening up a restaurant wasn’t ever in the cards.
“Well, I never knew that I would do this, to be honest. But, I grew up eating Vietnamese food,” Vitali said. “I had plenty of Vietnamese friends. And then coming to Rexburg a few years back, I was working sales and eating out every day and I couldn't take it anymore. So quit my job and started a little food shack.”
Even with little background experience in the food industry, Vitali said he wanted to open a restaurant with authenticity.
“I wanted fresh food, something that was homemade, that people would hopefully love,” Vitali said. "Most of the stuff that we can make from scratch, we do make from scratch. So, our pho is made from scratch.”
Vitali says all the community support he received during his formative days has allowed him to move Kingdom of Pho to a bigger space. Now to show his gratitude he gives back to the community in his own way.
“Aside from just trying to bring variety to our little town community wise, we feed the homeless,” Vitali said. “If anybody does need help with food, for example, we have plenty of it. So, come in. We'll help you out.”
Kingdom of Pho is located on Main Street in Rexburg. You can find Kingdom of Pho on Facebook and Instagram as well for regular updates.