Today we’d like to introduce you to Leena Nguyen.
Leena, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Have you ever notice that food always bring people together?
I started Vietglish food as a way of bridging a generation gap between my parent’s generation and ours. Growing up, pho has always been served in a bowl. You have your broth, your pho noodles, your proteins, and garnish. Now, we have fusions of pho – pho-rrito, pho jello, pho tacos, pho dip. I mean, the list goes. Our parents are probably like “what the hell is this?! This isn’t pho! But to me, it is. Food is the centerpiece of Asian culture. Every major event in our culture is associated with food – birth, weddings, reunions, even death. For us, food isn’t just to stay alive. It’s living. That’s why Vietglish food is so important to me because I want my parent’s generation to understand how we are continuing the culture they brought here to America, making it our own in a way that represents us as Asian-Americans.
This love for food has been instilled in me since birth. I was born and raised in Sacramento. My parents are immigrants from Vietnam. Growing up, food was always expected at the dinner table. I never questioned it. Whatever was served, I ate. When I was old enough to help my mom in the kitchen, I realized some of the meals she made would take hours to make. Pho, bun rieu, bun bo hue. They required hours of preparation and a lifetime to perfect. It was here, in my Mom’s tiny kitchen, that she communicated her love for us. This is how she said, “I love you.” Sometimes, this is how she said “I’m sorry” too.
As a result, this is how I show love too. To friends, to visiting family members, and through my videos on Vietglish food.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Making this much content is not easy. Organizing, brainstorming, getting the food, learning this history, getting everyone together, meetings, editing, etc. Sometimes, things don’t go as plan and we would have to improvise. But like everything else in life, there will be struggles along the way. With those struggled, this is how we grow and improve.
An advice I would give to women who are starting their journey is to just start doing what you want to do. Start somewhere, don’t wait it out. Learn, fail, start again. Rinse and repeat until you’re satisfied. Don’t be discouraged if things don’t go the way you want it. It will eventually fall into place. Just as long as you start somewhere.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into Vietglish Food/Mooglefett story. Tell us more about the business.
I guess you can say I’m a jack of all trades. Not great at one thing, but good at a lot of things. I speak my mind. I’ll try everything at least once. I’m culture hungry. I’m not afraid of putting myself out there. And really, I’m just here to enjoy this life. ^_^
What do you feel are the biggest barriers today to female leadership, in your industry or generally?
I think one of the biggest barriers today for females especially is being taken seriously in the food television media space. So often food shows revolve around men traveling the world, tasting their food, and being experts on it. Whereas, for so long on tv, women food shows always involved cooking. Shouldn’t the one who cook be the expert?
On the top of my head, I can think of several female chefs – Rachael Ray, Martha Stewart, Julia Child, and Paula Dean. Ever notice that they’re all cooking? Women love to travel. How come we don’t get to of around traveling for food? This is why I am excited about the next stage of Vietglish Food where I get to travel to my parents’ country and try all the food.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.youtube.com/vietglishfood
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/mooglefett
Image Credit:
First Photo – Andy Kim @androthekim0121, Second Photo – Andy Chung @andyhchung
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