Life & Work with Pete Duong

Today we’d like to introduce you to Pete Duong.

Hi Pete, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I am a quadrilingual Asian American born in Long Beach, CA. I understand (4) languages Khmer, Thai, Lao, and English. I got started as a Social Media Chef during the COVID pandemic. I have always had a passion for cooking and always dreamed of becoming a chef since I was a boy. I ended up not pursuing that dream in order to have a more “stable” career in healthcare. I obtained a Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Administration from CSULB in 2014 and obtained a Master’s in Public Administration at CSULB in 2018 in hopes of becoming an advocate in the public sector. A big part of the reason why I went down the path of obtaining higher education was not only for myself but my family. I understood at a young age how poor we were especially being a child of immigrants. My family escaped the Khmer Rouge in the 1980s to come to America for a new life. The Khmer Rouge was a horrendous genocide that killed over 1/3 of the Cambodian population. All while escaping, my mom had brain cancer, and having me was a miracle for her. Knowing the struggles of my family, I decided to keep a steady path to be able to become successful in this way. In a sense, I had a lot of survivor guilt growing up and had to learn how to balance what happiness was for myself, which led me to putting out content and my love for food.

My first viral videos took off on 11/16/2020 and it was my chili garlic noodles that hit almost 10 million views. That was my first taste of what it felt like to be recognized in the social media space for my recipes. In the beginning, I didn’t think anything of it. But, I kept sharing my recipes consistently while working full-time because It brought me happiness, and the community I was building genuinely liked the meals that I was sharing and crafting. This motivated me to self-publish and release my first cookbook, “A Taste of Home” on 5/21/2021; the purpose of this book was to allow fellow everyday home cooks the opportunity to follow along and be able to cook in the comfort of theirs, especially during COVID. It was a success in my eyes because I sold out all 500 units that I hand-packed and ordered an additional 250, which sold out. It was shocking to know that my book was in 750 households, and that meant a lot. That was enough motivation for me to keep going and be able to share my passion for food with the world while working full-time.

Fast forward, I was working simultaneously as a full-time Clinical Project Liaison for a reputable Medical Device and consumer company Johnson and Johnson, assisting with medical devices that were being tested and sent through clinical trials and a part-time social media chef. As my professional career kept growing, so did my social media presence. With that, I made a decision to elevate my professional career and transition to working as a procurement administrator for an Aerospace company that was contracted as a FFRDC (Federally Funded Research and Development Centers) that supported the DOD (Department of Defense).

Recently, in April 2023 I decided to leave my professional career to make my passion my professional career, and I have not become a full-time content creator and social media chef ever since for the past three months. It has been one of the best career choices I have made for myself. During this time, I am able to focus more on my brand and what I want to achieve for myself. It was amazing to make my once dream become a reality, and I am currently living through it.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Some of the challenges I faced was not being able to balance my time appropriately. I eventually understood that I was spreading myself too thin and was lacking in certain areas because there was not enough of me to do all my tasks which included working full time for corporate, creating and editing videos, and being a caregiver to my grandmother.

I also had a lot of self-doubt; not being able to have stability held me back a lot. I didn’t want to lose control by giving up control.

Learning about the social media space had a LARGE learning curve. There is so much to the creator influencing that I did not know about. It was more than just recording with your phone, but you need to learn how to edit, be a spokesperson, be personable, cook, clean, creative, and the list goes on.

Truthfully, in this current role as a creator, you have to be the Jack of all trades. You are your own editor, cook, content writer, recipe generator, manager, brand marketer, accountant, and administrator. I learned quickly that you need to be able to know how to do it all and quickly.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am Pete Duong I am super proud to be the first in my immediate family to receive higher education and obtain a master’s degree and become a Corporate administrator who transitioned from the healthcare to aerospace space only to now become a social media chef.

One of my most proudest moments was being able to quit my corporate job in April 2023 to become a full-time social media chef and content creator. Another powerful moment was becoming a self-published author at the age of 29.

What I do for work now is create recipe videos which aims to inspire, educate, and connect people through food and experiences by sharing cultural awareness and encouraging people to try new things throughout my content. I enjoy educating the audience about new flavors, cuisine and empowering others to be able to achieve new skills at home, which is seen throughout my content.

What sets me apart is that I am a quadrilingual Asian American in (Khmer, Thai, Lao, and English); this allows me to be more in tune with cultural diversity and the importance of connecting with others.

Who else deserves credit in your story?
I would say one of my biggest supporters is my friends and family specifically my mom and grandma. Without them, I would not have had an opportunity to learn more about my culture’s cuisine and understood what tenacity and hard work meant. Especially my mom being a brain cancer survivor and escaping genocide. I thank my mom and grandma for their love and unconditional support. My grandma is going through a lot right now; she was just diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer, and I believe she is so proud of me for being able to follow my dreams I thank her for motivating me and giving me the encouragement to believe in myself.

Contact Info:

• Website: pete-eats.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pete_eatss/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/peteeatss/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/pete_eatss
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@PeteEats