Green Mangos Catering

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December 16th, 2008

Thao Moore, a former Vietnamese refugee, started her life over when she started her business, Green Mangos Catering. This morning Thao stopped by with an array of delicious appetizers for the season.

Sauted Shrimp Lettuce Wraps (yields 6-8 first course servings)
1 lb (U26-30) shrimp
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp scallions
1 tbsp minced garlic
Pinch cayenne pepper
Kosher salt, to taste
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
6 Butter lettuce leaves (or any other soft lettuce)
Fresh herbs (i.e. Thai basil, chives, cilantro)

Horse radish dipping sauce
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup prepared horseradish
1/2 cup half and half
1-2 tsp habanero Tabasco sauce
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup Italian parsley

Preheat pan to medium-high heat. Add olive oil, scallions and garlic and saut for 30 seconds. Add shrimp to the pan and season with salt, pepper and cayenne. Saut for approximately 3 minutes. Don't move shrimp so you get a nice caramelized crust on one side. Turn shrimp to the other side and flash saut for another 30 seconds. Remove from pan and set aside.

In a bowl, combine bread crumbs, horseradish and half and half. Allow to sit for a couple of minutes to let crumbs absorb horseradish mixture. Add Tabasco sauce, sour cream and parsley. Set aside. To serve, place a lettuce leaf onto a plate, spread with horseradish sauce, place shrimp on top and garnish with fresh herbs. Roll up and enjoy!

Curry chicken on endive spears (yields 8-10 servings)
2 chicken breast, poached
1 shallot, diced
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp garlic powder
4-6 tbsp mayo
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Kosher salt, to taste
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
2 heads of endive spears
Italian parsley, for garnish

Poach chicken breasts in 4-6 cups of chicken stock (add 1 tsp of peppercorns and bay leaf, if desired) for approximately 15-18 minutes. Check for doneness. Combine all other ingredients in a bowl. Wash and dry endive leaves. Spoon curried chicken onto endives and garnish with Italian parsley. Enjoy!

Tomato and Mango Crostinis (yields 18-20 servings)
2 ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 ripe mango, peeled and diced
1/4 red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 tbsp olive oil, plus more for baguette
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Kosher salt, to taste
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
French baguette
4 tbsp butter, softened
1/2 tbsp garlic powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice baguette into 1/8" slices at an angle. Place onto a sheet pan in a single layer. Drizzle top with olive oil. Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Bake for 8 minutes. Set aside to cool. Mix first six ingredients above and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Spread some butter onto crostinis to keep bread from getting soggy. Spoon a tbsp of tomato mixture onto crostinis and serve.

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February 20, 2007



WCCO 830AM

Sue Zelicksons "Food For Thought"

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November 16, 2008

Thao Moore is starting over -- again. As a child, she fled with her family to this country from Vietnam. Three decades later, her management job in Woodbury moved out of state.This time she stayed put, stepping off the corporate ladder to pursue her passion for gourmet cooking and her dream of working for herself. The result is Green Mangos Catering, a small-but-growing start-up she launched with her husband, Thomas, a silent partner in the company. A serious foodie, along with her husband, Moore offers cuisine that often comes with an Asian or French twist, including her seafood specialties. She has catered everything from intimate dinner parties to events for businesses or organizations hosting dozens or hundreds of diners.

With unemployment soaring and a deep recession looming, many more jobs are likely to vanish in layoffs and the financial upheaval that is removing entire categories of manufacturing and other jobs from the economy. Not everyone who gets laid off or displaced will become an entrepreneur, but times like these can stir the imagination. Moore's transition from insurance executive to chef offers one example of how to manage such career changes. Although the path she took wouldn't work for everyone, Moore's story underscores the crucial value of retraining programs in assisting those who get laid off to gain new skills or pursue education that will enable them to rejoin the workforce.

"If anybody asks me about success stories, I always mention those two," Alan Walk, a vocational counselor in the dislocated-worker program at the Minnesota Teamsters Service Bureau in Minneapolis, said of Thao and Thomas Moore. Training was the key. Several factors have contributed, Walk said, including her business background, sound planning and savings and a spouse's income to count on during her culinary training.

The bureau is one of several nonprofit agencies that administer dislocated-worker programs. Services are free to those who are eligible, typically people laid off through no fault of their own but because of plant closings, downsizing or mass layoffs, Walk said. The programs coordinate with big employers about layoffs involving hundreds of employees as well as with individuals who get laid off.

A primary focus is finding short-term training to help clients obtain certifications, diplomas or new computer skills. As Moore discovered, grants are available to help with training costs, although clients often find jobs without getting new skills, Walk said. One-time payments can help dislocated workers with utility or house payments. A dozen or so people arrive at the bureau when initial screening meetings take place every two weeks, Walk said, up from just two or three 18 months ago. Some are making return trips, having lost jobs they had gotten after earlier layoffs. Of the hundreds of clients his office sees a year, Walk estimated that fewer than 5 percent start their own companies. Dislocated workers with visions of entrepreneurship may get a boost next year. A new U.S. Labor Department program -- Project GATE (Growing America Through Entrepreneurship) -- will offer services to eligible dislocated workers 50 and older who have the skills and experience to start a business.

Moore was working at State Farm in 2005 when the company announced that it was moving its Woodbury operations to Lincoln, Neb. She and her husband, who works in information technology at Target Corp. headquarters, had decided to stay here so that he could pursue his career.

Moore attended a meeting for dislocated State Farm workers, and eventually met Walk. Cooking up a new career. Her way forward quickly came into focus: job counseling, grants that would pay part of her tuition, and enrollment in the culinary program at the Art Institutes International Minnesota."I didn't think they'd give me a grant to go to culinary school," Moore said. "I thought I'd have to stay within the insurance industry or in business. I never thought this was even possible. It wasn't until I went to that first meeting that I realized that they just want to assist you in returning to work, regardless of what field you go into."Moore had always loved food and cooking, but she realized that she needed to pursue it as a vocation after the day she spent half an hour studying the peppers on display at a local grocery store.

"From that point on I knew what I wanted to do," she said. She spent about 18 months taking culinary classes, beginning in 2006. She worked at Oceanaire to get more kitchen experience but knew working nights and weekends in a restaurant was not for her. Her family's experience, with her parents leaving behind their careers to bring three young children to this country, helped build the character and independence she needs to run her own company, Moore said. "What my parents went through definitely made me a strong person," Moore said.

To keep overhead low, Moore rents a commercial kitchen in Minneapolis. She brings in on-call cooks and servers for events larger than she and her husband can manage. "We wanted to be smart with our money," Moore said. "We don't incur the expenses until we have the revenue. She catered her first event in April and has been busy since. She estimates that Green Mango's 2008 revenue will be $25,000, a figure that may double next year. "When Tom and I started this business, it was not about the money," she said. "It was about pursuing something I love to do. My goal when we first started was to make enough to cover our mortgage. Anything above that was a bonus, and we've more than exceeded that."

Todd Nelson is a freelance writer in Woodbury. His e-mail address is todd_nelson@mac.com.

2008 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.

By TODD NELSON, Special to the Star Tribune

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January 10, 2008

A Woodbury woman is a finalist in a regional culinary competition this month in Chicago. Thao Moore is an culinary arts graduate from the International Culinary School at the Art Institutes International Minnesota in downtown Minneapolis.

Her signature dish, poached halibut served with cucumber-mango relish and wild mushroom rice pilaf with black truffle oil, qualified her for the regional event on Jan. 25.

Moore graduated from the Art Institutes International Minnesota in March 2007 and currently works at the Oceanaire Seafood Room. She wants to continue to hone her skills and gain experience in the catering and restaurant arena with the plan of opening her own business someday.

"In an industry that's dominated by male chefs, I hope to be an inspiration to other women around me," Moore said. "I strongly believe that if you're truly passionate about something and you put your mind and heart into it, you can accomplish anything."

Winners of each regional competition will be flown to the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in Napa, California, where they will participate in various categories.

PAUL WALSH

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November 16, 2008

A ripening passion: Thao Moore is building Green Mangos Catering from scratch after stints at superb Twin Cities restaurants as well as the catering operations that refined her sense of how to express her love of food. One pound, two pounds or five pounds?

"Everything I buy cuts into my profit," said Moore, 37, who launched Green Mangos Catering with her husband, Tom, just over a year ago. "People say, 'What's a buck? What's $2? But it adds up. I try to be smart about how I shop." Moore's careful eye on the bottom line has helped her Woodbury-based business get off to a solid start despite a tough economic climate. She is predicting first-year revenue of $20,000 for Green Mangos and expects to hit $50,000 by the end of next year.

That disciplined approach was apparent on a Tuesday morning ingredient run for her next event -- a client lunch at Lancet Software in Burnsville.

The menu:roasted beef tenderloin with an herbed butter sauce, vodka cream pasta, shrimp pad Thai, a house salad, creme fraiche mashed potatoes and tres leches cake.

Moore figures ingredients should not make up for more than 30 percent of what she charges to cater a meal. But while cost of ingredients is key, taste and quality are king. She chooses firm tofu over medium or soft. "It cooks better," she says. And she goes for Hunt's whole canned tomatoes instead of the store brand because they are higher quality, but not much more in price.

Born in Vung Tau, Vietnam, Moore fled the country by boat with her family in 1975. They landed in Guam, but ended up in Minnesota when a church in Richfield offered to sponsor them. Moore, who was just 4 years old at the time, says she doesn't remember much about the experience, but it was a tough transition for her family. Her parents, considered well-to-do in Vietnam, had to start all over again. The youngest of the three kids, Moore graduated from high school in Bloomington and studied business management and marketing at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. Upon graduation, she joined State Farm as a claims representative. But after she had been there 12 years, the company said it was moving its Woodbury division to Nebraska. By this point, Moore was married and her second child was on the way. (Her oldest, Jacob, is now 5, and Jasmine is 3.) Moving wasn't really an option. Tom Moore was a corporate manager at Target. "Early on, we decided we were going to follow his career," Moore said. So she decided it was time for a career change.

One day, after spending half an hour examining the variety of peppers at the Woodbury Cub Foods, Moore realized her real passion: food. Though she'd always enjoyed cooking for friends and family, she realized she wanted to learn more. In 2006, she enrolled in the Art Institutes International Minnesota. In her 30s by then, Moore worried about how far behind her peers she was. So many of them had worked in restaurants as servers or line cooks. Others had manned their parents' bakeries. "Most chefs my age had been in the industry for many years," she said. But her knack for cooking quickly shone through. She was a finalist in the 2007 Next Best Chef competition in Bloomington and a regional finalist in the 2008 S. Pellegrino's "Almost Famous" chef competition in Chicago.

She worked briefly at the Oceanaire Seafood Room and Le Belle Vie and with a few caterers in town. Ultimately, she chose catering over restaurants because she thought it would be a more family-friendly path. Shortly after she graduated from culinary school, Green Mangos was born. She took its name from a Southeast Asian cookbook, "Green Mangos and Lemon Grass," she found in a bookstore. Though she and her husband own the business together, Moore pretty much runs the show. One of her first orders of business was to find a commercial kitchen in the Twin Cities that she could rent for a few hours at a time. She looked at kitchens at banquet facilities, bakeries, churches and schools. Most didn't meet her needs. Several that did just didn't want the liability of a caterer using their facility. Green Mangos landed its first gig before Moore had a kitchen -- or her catering license. Lancet Software, the company that designed her Web site, wanted her to cater a corporate lunch for 17 people. Through a local networking group -- Women Who Really Cook -- she finally found a kitchen in Minneapolis that she still uses today.

Lancet became a satisfied repeat customer, hiring Green Mangos for two or three events a month. "I don't think you could go to any catering menu in the Twin Cities and find the range of offerings she has," said Randy Mattran, Lancet's vice president of professional services. Lancet could go with sandwiches and chips, but the extra expense has so far been worth it. "People want to come to our next event so they can see what we'll be serving," Mattran said. Lancet's luncheons are buffet style and Moore can handle those by herself. But for larger events, she has a sous chef and a line cook on hand, as well as a pool of 10 servers. In five years, Moore would like to have her own kitchen. In 10 years, she envisions one or two more full-time chefs on staff. But that's a ways away. The last thing she wants to do is get ahead of herself. "I still feel like we're so young," she said.

Nicole Garrison-Sprenger can be reached at 651-228-5580.

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The Art Institutes International Minnesota

Alumni Success Graduate Stories - Culinary Arts

Thao Moore: 2007 The Art of Cooking Graduate from The Art Institutes International Minnesota

Employer: Green Mangos Catering

Career: Proprietor

"The only thing standing between you and your dream is you." - Thao Moore

What's Thao Doing Today?
Thao took her passion for cooking and turned it into an upscale catering company called Green Mangos Catering, featuring contemporary New American cuisine with Asian influences. Thao works with each client to create a unique menu designed specifically for their event. She completes the proposals, preps and cooks the food, and at times works with her kitchen team in order to successfully execute each event.

Creative Inspiration
The culinary world is very busy and very competitive. Thao suggests that budding culinary artists not put limitations on themselves."Really think about what inspires you and start putting your ideas together to make your dream a reality," she states.

Getting Out There
Thao enjoys using her creativity to transform the menu to reflect what's in season, what's trendy, or what inspires her. She finds it extremely rewarding when her clients hire Green Mangos Catering for future events.

For more information, visit The Art Institutes Internation Minnesota

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February 23, 2007

Thao Moore wins culinary competition

MINNEAPOLIS Thao C. Moore, a Woodbury resident and culinary arts student attending The Art Institutes International Minnesota, received the First Place and Peoples Choice awards at the Girl Scouts fourth annual Sweet Success Culinary Competition held on Tuesday, February 20, 2007. The annual Sweet Success event allows culinary students an opportunity to create original recipes using Americas favorite cookies: Girl Scout Cookies. Thaos winning recipe, Coconut Shrimp with Peanut-Lime Sauce, utilized the Girl Scouts Caramel deLite and Peanut Butter Sandwich cookies.

The Girl Scout Cookie Program is the nations premier financial literacy and entrepreneurship program. It has helped millions of girls develop skills they will use throughout their lives. Girl Scout Cookie revenue supports thousands of educational programs each year for more than 20,000 girls in the greater Minneapolis area. Her winning recipe was Coconut Shrimp with Peanut-Lime Sauce

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