Still have a few more days to take advantage of Plate of Nations!

The first thing you’ll notice at QBakery is their freshly baked French breads. The baskets are replenished often throughout the day, and if you time it just right, you can get your hands on ones that just came out of the oven. Quang Huynh, the ‘Q’ in QBakery is a man who knows his bread. His father opened a bakery in Ca Mau, a city in southern Vietnam in 1963. Quang fondly remembers enjoying the aromatic scent of oven-fresh loaves of baguettes as a kid in his father’s bakery. The lessons Quang learned in his father’s bakery was taken to America. In 1990, several years after moving to Seattle, he followed in his father’s footsteps and opened his own bakery selling to grocery stores, delis, and restaurants. In 2009, he decided to go retail and opened QBakery on MLK Jr Way. Step into QBakery and you’ll find a delicious assortment of baked goods the most popular of which are his banh mi sandwiches. Also, be sure to try out the savory hot deli items and sweet Vietnamese desserts. Come and enjoy some French flavors with a distinct Vietnamese twist at QBakery (Photos by Lydia Daniller)

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Are you craving for some authentic international cuisine? The culinary event Plate of Nations has opened and still available until April 9 at Martin Luther King (MLK) Jr. Way South.

The event will gather 12 restaurants around MLK community, include the Original Phillys (American East Coast), Café Ibex (Ethiopian), Joy Palace (Chinese), Rainier BBQ (Vietnamese), Q Bakery (Vietnamese), Tony’s Bakery (Vietnamese), Karama (East African), Huarachitos (Mexican), Venus (Chinese), Thai Palms (Thai), Olympic Express (Southeast Asian Halal), and Cajun Crawfish (American South). During this event, the restaurants will offer $15 and $25 group meal deals.

Plate of Nations is a new event of the MLK Business Association (MLKBA), which was formed in 2008 to promote the independently owned businesses in the MLK community. MLKBA Board Chair Julie Pham said, “We were brainstorming new ideas for promoting the business district and everyone got excited about a food event because food brings people together.”

Plate of Nations is the brainchild of Asari Mohamath, a refugee from Vietnam and former owner of Salima restaurant, who wanted to develop a unified marketing event to highlight the cuisines offered by MLK restaurants.

There are only two national brand eateries on MLK, from MLK & Rainier down to Rainier Beach: Baskin Robbins and McDonalds.  The Office of Economic Development  funded this project as part of its support of local business districts.

Venues are easily accessible by light rail from downtown or the #8 bus from Capitol Hill.

For more details, photos, and contact information of individual restaurant owners, visit: www.plateofnations.com and contact MLK Business Association Chair Julie Pham at Julie@nvnorthwest.com or 206-723-4666.