Beloved Bay Area Restaurateur Charles Phan Dies

BAY AREA, CA — The Bay Area's Charles Phan, chef at the Slanted Door in Napa, San Francisco and San Ramon, died unexpectedly Monday from cardiac arrest. He was 62 years old.

Phan was a beloved leader, visionary and friend, the Phan Family and Slanted Door Group said in a statement.

He was a prolific restaurateur often credited with redefining Vietnamese food in the United States, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Phan, who fled Vietnam with his family in 1975 when he was 13 years old, was the eldest of six children. He had many responsibilities early in life, including cooking for the family. He learned to prepare Vietnamese dishes by watching his mom and aunt. His knowledge of Western cooking was gained by watching TV.

His work ethic continued into adulthood after he attended UC Berkeley as an architecture major. Phan opened the Slanted Door — a nod to his love of architecture — in 1995 in San Francisco, then relocated to SoMa; he relocated once again to the Ferry Building, where the flagship restaurant would remain for several years.

"The Slanted Door became a nationally acclaimed destination for cellophane noodles with Dungeness crab, caramelized pork belly and other Vietnamese fare made with seasonal, local ingredients, as well as a serious wine list," the Chronicle wrote.

Phan was named the best chef in California in 2004 by the James Beard Foundation. In 2014, the Slanted Door earned the foundation's Outstanding Restaurant designation. The eatery was also consistently on the Chronicle’s Top 100 Restaurants list.

Like many restaurants, the Slanted Door closed its Ferry Building location when the pandemic hit. It was intended to be a temporary closure, but Phan would never reopen at the waterfront. Instead, he focused on opening a Slanted Door in Napa, which came to fruition in November 2023 in the former home of Kitchen Collective.

He told the Chronicle he was captivated by the farmhouse-like structure at 1650 Soscol Ave.

"I've known Napa and I've always felt a connection to downtown Napa," Phan said at the time.

Following a successful launch in Napa, Phan most recently turned his attention back to where it all began. He planned to return the Slanted Door to its original Valencia Street location this spring.

The Board of the Valencia Corridor Merchants Association shared a statement with Patch on Phan's passing.

"The collective hearts of the Valencia Merchants are broken today with the news of the passing of one of our own, Charles Phan. Charles helped put the Valencia food scene on the map with the Slanted Door and has been a bedrock member of this community for so long. He believed in Valencia before many others did and we were all so looking forward to his return to the block in the coming months. We mourn with his family and the whole small business community today."

The Phan Family and Slanted Door Group thanked the community for its support and kindness.

"Please respect our privacy as we take the time to grieve," they said. "For now, let’s honor Charles' extraordinary life and legacy by keeping his spirit alive in the way we savor and share meals with one another—always family style."