By Randy Savoie

Congressman Anh “Joseph” Cao, the first Vietnames-American  in history to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, visited New Orleans Job Corps Center  Thursday morning saying, “I’m very impressed with the facility, the quality of the students, the quality of the administration and I think this is an exceptional, exceptional program.”

With the advent of the Tulane University Medical corridor, Rep. Cao cited the future opportunities for the New Orleans Center’s medical trainees. The Congressman said one of his secret ambitions is to be a chef and he particulary enjoyed his visit with the Culinary Arts students, sampling a pipin’ hot chocolate chip cookie along the way.

Representative Cao emigrated to the United States from Saigon, Vietnam at the age of eight after his father, an officer with the South Vitnamese Army, was imprisoned by the Communists. In 2008, he was elected to represent metropolitan New Orleans in the U.S. Congress.