Dear Asian Americans

Bonus Episode, Dear Asian Americans: a podcast for and by Asian Americans, rooted in origin, identity, and legacy. Host Jerry Won brings on guests from diverse backgrounds and career paths to celebrate, support, and inspire the Asian American community. In this bonus episode: Lisa Tran, owner of Tân Tân Foods, joins Tiffany guest host of Dear Asian Americans for an open and personal conversation about the American origin story of the Tran family, how the early years of American life shaped her identity, and how she fell in love with and innovated her family business to grow it into Tân Tân Foods. 

Lisa Tran was born in an Indonesian refugee camp, after her parents had successfully fled Vietnam following the Fall of Saigon. Lisa’s parents, Vinh Tran and Mai Nguyen, fled in a tiny fishing boat carrying 13 refugees in 1976 and were sponsored to Oregon in 1981. Many years later, they opened Tân Tân Cafe & Delicatessen in the Portland metro area. Tân Tân means “New Beginnings,” and they were the first Vietnamese restaurant around at that time. Today the business has grown into a consumer products company with homemade sauces being sold in hundreds of grocery stores across America. IG @tantanfoods, www.tantanfoods.com 

Dear Asian Americans Podcast