“I love everything about being Lao! I share our culture through food and cuss words! Lao people cuss each other out so passionately, there’s nothing like it!”
“I have always loved to host and cook. I started cooking when I turned 10. My dad said, “happy birthday! Time for you to get in the kitchen and help your mom!”
“Both of my parents cook so the kitchen was always the best hang out spot because I could keep on eating and eating.”
Watch Ae make Lao Papaya Salad
My parents would always wait for their three kids to come home so we could have dinner together every night. That was our sacred family time.”
“ I feel like that is why I love to cook and host because it is my love language. Before I started my business, I was always hosting and cooking for people I love, and now, I get to cook for strangers that eventually become my friends. What is life?!
“Like most Lao kids, I grew up with strict parents. My dad would always say, “you are my kee kai, I can take you out of this world e noy noy ni!”
My dad always told me to not be afraid of anything in this world except him, toxic huh?
But toxic Lao style.
My dad always says to my sisters and me, “Be the best of the peepo!”
It translates to always do and be your best, at all times.“
“Growing up, I always told my parents that I wanted to grow up and explore the world and “find myself.” They support me to tell me to be careful but to
never be scared.”
“My drive and ambition to start my food company has many different factors. I moved to the U.S. from Vientiane, Laos in 2007. I studied finance, thinking that if I studied about money I would know how to make a lot of it. From there I pursued a career in wealth management and I was successful at my job. Wealth management was not my passion at all, but ‘it was the right thing to do.’”
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Being in a white male dominant industry can put its toll on you, but I powered through every day and proved that I was worthy and belonged at the table.”
Fast forward a couple of years and I find out that I was blatantly being treated unfairly in the workplace. I had a choice to either accept the treatment or stand up for myself. Being the stubborn and tenacious Lao woman that I am, I confronted my white boss and told him to fuck off!”
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Little did I know, it would be the beginning of the most passionate and adventurous transition of my life! I now wake up happy and excited to live; I cook and host parties and listen to crime podcasts all day long! Working for myself and building my dream has fueled me in ways I cannot describe.
People perceive the unknown as something scary, but how I see it is that we are so overwhelmed by the unknown because literally anything is possible, and that in itself is exciting!
“There is no playbook in life, only the one you write for yourself. I have the power to do and be who I want to be.
“Always choose yourself. Take that leap, work hard and the rewards will follow.”
“Mar and I started this podcast Double Minority Report because we felt there was a lack of representation in conversations surrounding the conflicting thoughts and beliefs of a person belonging to multiple communities.
“We discuss uncomfortable topics and provide raw insight with hopes to promote open mindedness and break common stereotypes. Our podcast is about love and acceptance, and we want our listeners to know that it’s okay to find comfort in being yourself.”
“My inspiration is my family. My parents and sisters live in Vientiane. Lao parents give you this power of love. When you are younger, they feed you all the fears in life, yet when you grow up, they give you all the strength to be fearless.
It is such a
beautiful thing. “
My dream is to have a comedy cooking show on Netflix or Comedy Central. Very specific isn’t it?
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I want to put our people on the map with our food, but I want to also represent Asian women as a whole and change the narrative and stereotype that we are quiet and submissive. Asian women are bad ass and it’s time the world knows!”
“I am always willing to do the work. Naturally I am very competitive and goal driven - maybe my dad is a little responsible for that. My mom taught me to wake up every day and hug myself and thank myself for the healthy body that houses my soul. After that, I say three things that I want to achieve before I get out of bed.
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I can confidently say that I have achieved everything I have asked for so far.
Life will slowly make you realize that.”
