NEW ORLEANS — Just off of the corner of Girod and Tchoupitoulas, you'll find a CBD restaurant with a unique name. It's Vyoone's (pronounced Vee-ahn's).
Vyoone is the owner of a continental French restaurant, but the restaurant owner is a new title for Vyoone. Her role in the restaurant industry is one that surprised her mother.
"She tells me, 'I pray for you every day. I pray for you every day,' because I was always the one in the books. I come from a family of six, and I actually was a musician," says Vyoone.
Her story begins with Vyoone-the musician. She started playing the clarinet in kindergarten.
"And when I was at [McDonogh] 35, Pete Fountain came to my high school, and he says, 'How many people want the opportunity to study with me at NOCCA.' I was like, 'I do. I do," says Vyoone.
She went to LSU on a music scholarship, but her parents asked her to choose a field with a clearer path to success, so she switched to the sciences
There's where Vyonne the doctor comes in. Dr. V is a pediatric geneticist.
"I was traveling all over the country....all over the world...spent some time in Amsterdam and Paris...just really teaching physicians about the human genome project ...how to identify rare diseases...how to treat and manage. And I did it for about seven or eight years, and I took a sabbatical when we started this project," explains Vyoone.
Say hello to Vyoone the real estate developer.
"I'm fortunate to own many businesses. One of ours is a real estate development company. It's called "V Segue Properties."
Vyoone and her family restore the culture of New Orleans by developing historic properties, like the building on Girod.
When she saw it, Vyoone immediately had a vision for this beautiful courtyard perfect for a French restaurant.
Vyoone's decision to open a restaurant didn't come from a love of cooking. In fact, her family teases her for not spending enough time in the kitchen, but she had a pocketful of family recipes and she knew that she could run a successful business.
"We grew up very, very poor here in New Orleans, I grew up in the Iberville project and the St. Bernard. The thing my parents gave me was faith. They always gave me the faith that whatever you want, see it, do it, and it can happen," says Vyoone.
Whether it's a medical research project or a new restaurant, Vyoone's true passion is bringing her visions to life. And she wants people to know her dedication to New Orleans lies at the heart of everything she does.
"I love New Orleans. My family is deep-rooted here. This project, although it's a lot of sweat and tears, it's been all worth it just to bring something valuable to my community, says Vyoone.
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