Weekly Welcome

Keegan Fong is the Founder of Woon, serving “homestyle Chinese food” in Los Angeles inspired by recipes from “Mama Fong.” It’s a gateway restaurant for those that have both enjoyed Chinese food growing up and for those desiring to explore in depth about Chinese cuisine. Keegan has created a comfortably modern environment minus the stuffiness plus the friendliness to serve his favorite childhood dishes. Hosted + produced by Arnold Byun. Cover art illustration by Seohui Chi. Photography by Calvin Khurniawan. Follow us on Instagram @withwarmwelcome or visit our website, withwarmwelcome.com.

Deau and Joy are the power couple and Co-Founders behind LA's buzziest Thai restaurant, Holy Basil. Both hail from Bangkok, but boast different stories on how their paths eventually converged at the now-closed Chandara as cashier and bartender, respectively. Deau's background was in graphic design and naturally the pair launched a string of pop-ups promoting their beverage brand The_Base. Naturally, the opportunity presented itself and the duo soon found themselves launching their first ever full blown Bangkok street food concept in Downtown Los Angeles. Since opening in early 2021, they've had their share of challenges in educating the consumer base as well as a string of accolades validating their years of work in this industry. Hosted + produced by Arnold Byun. Cover art illustration by Seohui Chi. Photography by Calvin Khurniawan. Follow us on Instagram @withwarmwelcome or visit our website, withwarmwelcome.com.

Katy Noochlaor is the Co-Owner and operator of 20+ year Thai street food Tuk Tuk in Sawtelle, robust wine and casual Thai fare Same Same in Silver Lake, and the multigenerational dining institution Chao Krung in Fairfax. We speak on her newly relocated and updated Tuk Tuk as well as the importance in reclaiming Thai food. Hosted + produced by Arnold Byun. Cover art illustration by Seohui Chi. Photography by Calvin Khurniawan. Follow us on Instagram @withwarmwelcome or visit our website, withwarmwelcome.com.

Eric Tjahyadi is a Co-Owner in his family owned Southeast Asian restaurant Bone Kettle in Old Town Pasadena. During the day, Eric is also the VP, Head of Global Ad Sales at Sony Music. He's also a partner in Supa Coffee, a hip-hop themed conceptual café. We touch on creating organizational structure, importance of delegating, and not giving up on what you want to do and what you love. Eric and his family immigrated from Indonesia and their initial perception of America (Victorian houses/Full House) ended up being anything but. There have been many challenges in this self-funded, family venture in Bone Kettle. Through it all, it's still here and after conversing with Eric, it's easy to see why. Hosted + produced by Arnold Byun. Cover art illustration by Seohui Chi. Photography + videography by Calvin Khurniawan. Follow us on Instagram @withwarmwelcome or visit our website, withwarmwelcome.com.

Vanda Asapahu is a second generation restaurant owner of Ayara Thai, a Thai institution in Westchester, LA nearing two decades of operation. Family owned and operated in every sense, we dive into the dynamics of working with family, the harmful notion of “cheap Asian food,” and what’s next for the Asapahu family. Hosted + produced by Arnold Byun. Cover art illustration by Seohui Chi. Photography + videography by Calvin Khurniawan. Follow us on Instagram @withwarmwelcome or visit our website, withwarmwelcome.com.

Bartender-turned-ice cream shop owner Adrienne Borlongan is the Co-Founder of Wanderlust Creamery — artisanal ice cream inspired by the founders’ feelings of wanderlust, every flavor is a love letter to the places they’ve been, the places they long to visit, and childhood memories. Hosted + produced by Arnold Byun. Cover art illustration by Seohui Chi. Photography + videography by Calvin Khurniawan. Recorded at 3.1 Phillip Lim. Follow us on Instagram @withwarmwelcome or visit our website, withwarmwelcome.com.

Ria Dolly Barbosa is the Executive Chef and VP of Culinary at Peso Hospitality. Their first restaurant Petite Peso serves thoughtful, comforting Filipino food in DTLA. We chronicle her immigrant experience from the Philippines to running the popular Sqirl to eventually meeting her now business partners through Instagram. Hosted + produced by Arnold Byun. Cover art illustration by Seohui Chi. Photography + videography by Calvin Khurniawan. Recorded at 3.1 Phillip Lim. Follow us on Instagram @withwarmwelcome or visit our website, withwarmwelcome.com.

Rica Leon is the Co-Owner/CEO of Chifa in Eagle Rock, Los Angeles ― a restaurant that features Cantonese, Peruvian, and Taiwanese cooking. Truly a family owned and operated restaurant, it's inspired by Rica's mom Wendy "Popo" who emigrated from Hong Kong to Lima, Peru with her family. Eventually the family made their way stateside landing in Highland Park, which neighbors Eagle Rock. Rica's story is a full circle story about grit, perseverance, and the American dream.  Hosted + produced by Arnold Byun. Cover art illustration by Seohui Chi. Photography + videography by Calvin Khurniawan. Recorded at 3.1 Phillip Lim. Follow us on Instagram @withwarmwelcome or visit our website, withwarmwelcome.com.

Justin Pichetrungsi is the second generation owner and operator of Anajak Thai Cuisine in Sherman Oaks. Anajak has been around for multiple decades and one of the first Thai restaurants in the valley. We chat about challenges of multigenerational restaurant ownership in maintaining the older clientele while attaining the new, the expression of Thai cuisine, how his ever popular "Thai Taco Tuesday (TTT)" came to be, his use of social media, and how he came to fully realize his responsibility in returning to run the family business. Hosted + produced by Arnold Byun. Cover art illustration by Seohui Chi. Photography + videography by Calvin Khurniawan. Recorded at 3.1 Phillip Lim. Follow us on Instagram @withwarmwelcome or visit our website, withwarmwelcome.com.

Lien Ta is the Co-Owner and operator of LA restaurants Here’s Looking at You and All Day Baby. In addition, she’s a Co-Founder of Regarding Her, a national non-profit driven by women restaurateurs on a mission to empower and advance all women identifying food and drink entrepreneurs.  Hosted + produced by Arnold Byun. Cover art illustration by Seohui Chi. Photography + videography by Calvin Khurniawan. Recorded at 3.1 Phillip Lim. Follow us on Instagram @withwarmwelcome or visit our website, withwarmwelcome.com.

Leo Lee is the Co-Owner and Chef of RiceBox in DTLA. A Cantonese BBQ restaurant by definition, Leo's story is anything but orthodox. Starting as a dishwasher in his family restaurant in Mexicali to CIA to Levy Restaurants, Leo finally opened his own with his wife and business partner Lydia. We revisit the early days to surviving through COVID, having a baby during these tumultuous times and how they've continued to put family and employees first and foremost. Hosted + produced by Arnold Byun. Cover art illustration by Seohui Chi. Photography + videography by Calvin Khurniawan. Recorded at 3.1 Phillip Lim. Follow us on Instagram @withwarmwelcome or visit our website, withwarmwelcome.com.

Jimin and Sandy are the husband-and-wife duo behind Saikai Ramen Bar in LA’s Koreatown, serving up some of the best bowls you’ll find in the city alongside a LA-inspired rotation of yakitori and appetizers.  Hosted + produced by Arnold Byun. Cover art illustration by Seohui Chi. Photography + videography by Calvin Khurniawan. Recorded at 3.1 Phillip Lim. Follow us on Instagram @withwarmwelcome or visit our website, withwarmwelcome.com.

Tuan Lee is the Co-Founder/CEO of Vervet, farm-to-can sparkling cocktails celebrating the global cultures of LA.  Hosted + produced by Arnold Byun. Cover art illustration by Seohui Chi. Photography + videography by Calvin Khurniawan. Recorded at 3.1 Phillip Lim. Follow us on Instagram @withwarmwelcome or visit our website, withwarmwelcome.com. 

Corey Chow is the Chef de Cuisine at Per Se, a 3-Michelin starred restaurant in New York City from Thomas Keller Restaurant Group. Growing up in San Gabriel Valley, Corey spent weekends at his grandparents' where he learned the importance of food and the connection it has to culture. His original path would've had him in education, teaching children; however, a transformative time in Alan Wong's restaurant In Hawaii soon changed the course of his career. In a decade, he rose the ranks of Per Se from a Commis to Chef de Cuisine and now even as a co-author of The French Laundry, Per Se cookbook, available at the Finesse Store here. Follow Corey Chow at @coreydchow and Per Se at @perseny.

Lydia is the Co-Owner of Steep in LA’s Chinatown. We converse on her concept and definition of a “modern tea room,” how they approach tea ceremonies, her trips to China to source directly, the sensation of being tea drunk, and navigating her business through COVID-19.

Jing Gao is the Founder and CEO of Fly By Jing. Gao was born in Chengdu, identifying as Chinese Canadian, has lived in and hopped around a number of countries, and now calls Los Angeles her home.   We discuss Gao's reclamation of her birth name, her culinary journey throughout Asia working at P&G and Blackberry, writing for international food publications while exploring Chinese cuisine more deeply, to filming Eddie Huang's Fresh Off the Boat and Bizzare Foods with Andrew Zimmerman. Her a-ha moment finally presented itself at a natural food expo which led to the creation of her dream CPG company. With Fly By Jing, she continues unapologetically turn biases on its head, driving exposure and understanding of the depth and breadth of Chinese cuisine and culture.

Johnny Lee is the Chef/Owner of Pearl River Deli. Lee is a Los Angeles native whose humble beginnings started at McDonalds to working front of house as a waiter and restaurant manager at a Chinese restaurant in Colorado. His love for the hospitality business grew from these experiences and led him back to LA at the time when food trucks were booming. We fast-forward to Lee running the kitchens at Sticky Rice and Alvin Cailan's Eggslut in Grand Central Market before finally creating his own pop-up; which was so successful at the peak of the pandemic that it evolved into his brick and mortar restaurant located in the Far East Plaza in Chinatown. Lee also shares with us his dream of having a sustainable restaurant.

Jenny Dorsey is a bi-coastal chef, food writer, speaker, and social entrepreneur. Dorsey owns Studio ATAO, a nonprofit community think tank that creates content and experiences at the intersection of food, art and social impact. She started her career as a management consultant in the fashion industry but discovered her true calling in culinary arts after taking a sabbatical to explore food interests. We dig into her backstory and discuss topics like the need to exercise creative muscle, hospitality being based off of a slave labor society, white and asian fragility, changing the food narrative, and much more.

David Kuo is Chef/Owner of Little Fatty, a Taiwanese soul food restaurant located in Mar Vista, California. A California native whose passion for cooking and food was influenced by his family's traditional cooking as well as watching Food Network & Iron Chef growing up. Kuo spent some time in real estate before following his dream of owning a restaurant, but it didn't come easy; as he refers to it as the school of hard knocks. Through these experiences he was able to glean insights into successfully running a restaurant business among other food related ventures.

Ryan Wong is Chef/Owner of Needle, a Cantonese restaurant in Silver Lake, California. He’s got a chef’s conviction to carry on his Hong Kong heritage. Formerly a substitute teacher moonlighting as a guitarist in a rock-alt band, to washing dishes at a Sheraton Hotel, to finally cooking food he has connections to.