Thank You, Mom

My mother was a role model and source of inspiration throughout my upbringing, and continues to be so—not just in the realm of cooking, but in life itself. Her unwavering positivity, boundless energy, and immense patience appear inexhaustible. I am eternally grateful and happy that she is my mother. Thay, as my beloved mother is named, was born in Vietnam, and her family history stretches back to China where my grandparents were born.

As the eldest of eight children, my mother shouldered significant responsibilities from a tender age, working hard to support her family, often at the expense of her education. She was universally beloved in the neighborhood, especially among the elderly, for whom she often ran errands and did shopping.