Listen Live
Donate
 on air
Schedule

KCRW

Read & Explore

  • News
  • Entertainment
  • Food
  • Culture
  • Events

Listen

  • Live Radio
  • Music
  • Podcasts
  • Full Schedule

Information

  • About
  • Careers
  • Help / FAQ
  • Newsletters
  • Contact

Support

  • Become a Member
  • Become a VIP
  • Ways to Give
  • Shop
  • Member Perks

Become a Member

Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

DonateGive Monthly

Copyright 2025 KCRW. All rights reserved.

Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
Cookie Policy
|FCC Public Files

Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand

Press Play with Madeleine Brand

Asian women are the spine of LA’s food scene

Let’s acknowledge the work done by the Asian women in LA’s food industry, support their businesses, and show them compassion and kindness at a time that is tremendously difficult.

  • rss
  • Share
By Madeleine Brand • Mar 25, 2021 • 8m Listen

Let’s acknowledge the work done by the Asian women in LA’s food industry, support their businesses, and show them compassion and kindness at a time that is tremendously difficult. Ai Honda Kennedy’s tagline is “trying to do too much.” I’d say that pretty much sums up this entire group of impressive women. This isn’t THE list. It’s simply A list. I’m sure there are as many that I left out as I managed to list here.

Glue: Women who create or hold communities together

Chancee Martorell - Thai Community Development Center

Natasha Phan - Roy Choi’s partner in many endeavors

Alexandra Suh - Executive Director of Koreatown Immigrant Workers Advocates

Lien Ta of All Day Baby - helped create Regarding Her Food

Regarding Her Food Christine Tran - Executive Director of Los Angeles Food Policy Council

Diep Tran - Chef at Red Boat Fish Sauce

Restaurateurs/owners/general managers/operations

Cathy and Vanda Asapahu - Ayara Thai

Ayara ThaiBarb Baptiste - B Sweet, Big Boi

Big BoiRia Dolly Barbosa - Petite Peso

Petite PesoSteff Baros - Lasita

Caroline Cho - Dan Sung Sa

Dan Sung SaShirley Chung - Ms Chi

Ms ChiCrystal Coser - Bites and Bashes

Bites and BashesLynda Trang Dai - Lynda Sandwich

Lynda Sandwich Diane Dang - Brodard

Brodard“Nancy” Amphai Dunne - Northern Thai Food Club

Northern Thai Food ClubChef Fern and Chef Pla - Luv2Eat Thai

Luv2Eat ThaiValerie Gordon - Valerie Confections

Valerie ConfectionsYoonjin Hwang - Spoon by H (RIP!)

Roxana Jullapat - Friends and Family

Friends and FamilyAi Honda Kennedy - ADNOHIA

Injin Kim - Peri Coffee

Peri CoffeeSarah Kim - Playing for Keeps LA

Playing for Keeps LAJihee Kim - Perilla LA

Perilla LAJenee Kim - Park’s BBQ

Park’s BBQVivian Ku - Pine & Crane, Joy, Today Starts Here

Today Starts HereCarol Kwan - Mama Musubi

Mama MusubiSojung Kwon - Document Coffee Bar

Document Coffee BarWendy Lam - Newport Seafood

Newport Seafood Uyen Le - Bé Ù

Bé ÙMei Lin - Umamixo

UmamixoKim Luu-Ng, Cassia

CassiaJessie Nicely - Burmese Please

Burmese PleaseJintana Noochlaor - Sapp Coffee

Sapp CoffeeKristin Nguyen - Garlic and Chives

Garlic and ChivesJennifer Pak - Soban

SobanMina Park - Shiku

ShikuMinh Phan - porridge + puffs, PHENAKITE

PHENAKITENikki Reginaldo - Kato

KatoPatti Röckenwagner - Röckenwagner Bakery

Röckenwagner BakeryDina Samson - Rossoblu

RossobluJazz Sing - Jitlada

Lieu Tran - Pho 79

Pho 79Elaine Mendoza Yamanashi - Tokyo Fried Chicken

Tokyo Fried ChickenKelly Xiao and Lynn Liu - Sichan Impressions

Sichan ImpressionsNan Yimcharoen - KinKanLA

KinKanLAMei Lin - Nightshade and Daybird

DaybirdKuniko Yagi - Pikunico

Saehee Cho - Soon Minimart

Soon Minimart

Soon Minimart

Pastry makers, fermenter:

Sally Camacho Mueller - Tesse

TesseSteph Chen - Sugar Bear Bakes

Sugar Bear BakesLaura Hoang - Lasita

LasitaGemma Matsuyama - Ototo

OtotoKei Okumura - Sugarbird Sweets

Sugarbird SweetsJess Wang

Writers, teachers, bookstore owner:

Cathy Danh Chaplin

Cathy Danh ChaplinJenny Dorsey

Jenny DorseyJenn Harris

Jenn HarrisPaola Mardo

Paola MardoTien Nguyen

Tien Nguyen Sonoko Sakai

Sonoko SakaiJean Trinh

Jean TrinhEsther Tseng

Esther TsengMichelle Mungcal - Now Serving

  • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

    Madeleine Brand

    Host, 'Press Play'

  • KCRW placeholder

    Sarah Sweeney

    Vice President of Talk Programming, KCRW

  • KCRW placeholder

    Angie Perrin

    Producer, Press Play

  • KCRW placeholder

    Michell Eloy

    Line Editor, Press Play

  • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

    Evan Kleiman

    host 'Good Food'

    CultureFood & DrinkBusiness & EconomyLos Angeles
Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand