Tuk Tuk Box
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What are your roles at Tuk Tuk Box?
We, Bea Aurelio-Saguin and Christy Innouvong-Thornton, are the Co-Founders of Tuk Tuk Box. We are all friends and have worked well together over the years. Christy is also one of the founders of the non-profit organization called, "Courageous Kitchen." She is highly involved in refugee-serving organizations. Allison and I used to work at an Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Social Justice Organization- Christy and I started Tuk Tuk Box together. Allison is our Operations Manager.

What made you become interested in having a specialty food retailer business to promote Southeast Asian food?
Bea: Tuk Tuk Box is my “vehicle” of learning about my family’s deep history and diving into my questions growing up, "Who am I? Where is my family from? What did my ancestors eat and experience, and how did they live?"

Through my travels and global health experience, I still found a big gap and question I kept asking, "Why was there a lack of Southeast Asian focus in addressing health disparities? Why weren’t we at the tables being a part of these discussions?" I started volunteering at Courageous Kitchen 4 years ago and never looked back.

Christy: I started Courageous Kitchen nearly 7 years ago with a friend in Bangkok. We currently serve over 400 asylum seeking and refugee families in Thailand and now, San Diego. It started as English lessons in my apartment which eventually led to pop-ups around the city and later, cooking classes. We also led street food, market tours and classes to generate funds for the organization. Through these experiences, we are able to teach supplementary education, as the refugee families have little to no pathway in Thailand. We do this through mentorship, food education, math, English, and basic transferable skills like budgeting and kitchen management. 

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, we could no longer work directly with tourists in Thailand or San Diego. We had to figure out a sustainable way to generate funds for the families we serve and continue to bring education and awareness of our communities. Through my work, I have had the privilege to work alongside many chefs or food entrepreneurs. I have sent out Thai cooking kits and ingredients to people in my network for years, but with the shutdown, my regular clients didn’t have access to the Southeast Asian food they longed for.

Bea suggested that we offer a subscription box model for those who were missing the classes and cuisine; and so, we set to work - building Tuk Tuk Box and connecting all of the pieces: Food, Southeast Asia, and social impact. Not only offering the customers the items they desire, but a nostalgic experience that engages, educates, and gives back.

What is your favorite part of owning your business so far? What are the challenges? 
Bea: As I navigated my way through the nuances of being a first generation Southeast Asian American in school, I developed a strong connection and passion for knowing what made my community what it was and finding out how it shaped me. I went to school and studied history, but my community’s history was never told. One of my favorite parts of owning my own business is that we can bridge the gap and teach others about our community in a way that other people have not. We have full reign on everything that we want to share! Through Tuk Tuk Box, we are pushing the question of, "Why aren't we at the table?”

Christy: Everything Bea said and more. Questions of identity were always on my mind, and especially the frustration of not having representation anywhere. In the media, in the culinary industry, in the workplace. I’m tired of being the only one. Tuk Tuk Box is here to show us that Southeast Asians are visible, we’re loud, we’re proud, we’re unapologetic and we’ve got damn good food. We’re not going anywhere. We want you to read our stories, or try a snack and say “Hey, this looks like my mom,” or “My grandpa gave me this candy when I was little!” Not only the stories but the food will hopefully evoke emotion.
 
The challenges, of course with any new venture, is capital. We’re doing this ourselves, without a silver spoon in our mouth and with our own savings, building everything from the ground up. It’s bootstrapping, as our parents and ancestors did. We’re resilient because we have to be. ​

'Emprəs™ Luxury Brand
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Location: New Orleans, LA
Services: Cambodian-Owned Luxury Hair Care

Soko: David is the brains of the operation - he is the promoter, designer, and social media manager. I am not so good with social media, so it’s great that he can take that role on. I am always here for him to offer my advice or if he needs to run anything by me! We also have a group chat with our older brother, Shawn, to throw out any new ideas with each other. We're all the same and work well together. No one is above one another. We get our whole family involved, too, like my daughter, who helps us fulfill the orders and package the products. 

David: ​Shawn came up with the name, "Camusa," and shared it with us siblings. Immediately, we knew it was the right name for our business. The meaning behind "Camusa" represents our parents immigrating from Cambodia to America which influenced how we were raised. ​We are proud to be Cambodian Americans. ​

As I was driving to work, I declined a call from a number with all zeros but then answered the next call. It was Shawn with his probation officer. My mind was spinning when I picked up his car and didn't see or hear from him for the next 2-3 weeks. We could only track him on a website under his case number. Shawn was held at a detention center for 6 months and then relocated to Texas, where he was unfortunately deported to Cambodia with 40 other Cambodian immigrants.

Our parents fought to escape the Khmer Rouge and have a better life in America, only to have their son go back. We are not the only ones experiencing this pain and heartache with this deportation issue that is separating so many families. Our family had hopes of bringing him home by saving up money, writing to lawyers, opening a case, and doing everything that we could possibly do. We were devastated to break the news to our parents.
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David: I’m the closest to Shawn. Our time together is a distant memory. His energy is now different from what it used to be. Reserved, cautious, careful, and scared. You do not want to stand out in Srok Khmer, and he doesn't feel Khmer enough being in Cambodia. Since Shawn is homesick, we do our best to FaceTime whenever we have family events. He is getting by and surviving. There are days when he sits alone in his apartment, and we feel his pain. We've seen stories where people have been pardoned for their crimes. However, his crime was committed in Massachusetts, not in Arizona, which makes it a very complicated and costly process to even attempt to bring him back. We've hit all of the dead-ends. 

Everything happens for a reason - my brother is a believer in that. Two years ago, when we visited Cambodia, everything came back in full circle when our dad reunited with his sister. During their escape of the Khmer Rouge Regime, they separated from each other with our dad headed toward Thailand while our aunt headed in the opposite direction toward Cambodia. A positive part of this situation is that Shawn has gotten a chance to connect with our family members who we had never met before.

After Shawn got deported, it was our first time traveling together as a family to visit him. He left with only the clothes on his back, so we brought whatever we could with us. Things that you don’t normally think about until your life is ripped away from you. There were many tears when we reunited.

What is your name and role at Sou Family Recipes, LLC?
My name is Chann. I am the co-owner of Sou Family Recipes and I work with Mary Sou who is my sister. 

What made you become interested in having a Khmer lemongrass seasoning business?
Representation. We both love cooking and we decided that this would be a good opportunity to showcase our culture and cuisine.

When we first started in August 2017, we didn't see any kroeung (Cambodian lemongrass paste) being sold [by small businesses]. We appreciate that more people from different states are showcasing their food now. Back then, we thought, "What about Cambodian food?" That's the reason why we decided to start our business in order to raise awareness of our culture and our immigration story in America. 

What is your favorite part of owning your business so far? What are the challenges? 
My favorite part is being creative. Being able to come up with different strategies to promote my product.

Before COVID, we hosted Dinner Parties at people's homes where I serve at least 8 people (max of 15 people; $30 / person) and give them a set menu. I use kroeung in the main dishes and tell them to go on my website to make the recipes using our lemongrass seasoning! Not only do I cook the food, I also do a show...

I do a history lesson of my family's immigration story and the genocide; then I'll do a spoken word poetry about my family and who we are, and even teach them how to Robam (Dance) Khmer. Within the three hours, you get the food, history, music, culture at the same time. It's like a snippet of what it's like to be Khmer American in the U.S.

​I like to seek out random people, talk about my business, and see if they would consider the idea! Through these opportunities, people have bought my seasoning, learned and used the word "Khmer," understand what Cambodian food is like, and have a cultural experience. If COVID wasn't an issue, I could do this full time.

I really want to see other cultures doing something like this - Nigerians, Ghanians, Puerto Ricans, Mexicans - where they can offer their products and services to share their own twist of their culture that you wouldn't otherwise get at a restaurant. They'd offer that personal touch and make some money on the side.

I also have other ventures, such as creating a video production company to make videos and short films. I am trying to balance all of my interests while working full-time. The goal someday is to be able to work on my own and generate consistent revenue.

Tell us about your products or services!
​Basically, the products are our lemon grass seasoning that we make and package for you. With our current service right now. my sister and I package everything. We give people the opportunity to cook authentic Khmer food by creating recipes on our website. 

What else would you like for people to know about you and/or your business?
We are really proud to be Khmer. We hope that this will open up doors for other people of color to showcase their talent through food. This food company business is a part of my work in racial and social justice. I want there to be more communities of color creating products that represent their cultures. This will motivate others to be curious and willing to learn about people different from them, and hopefully contribute to breaking down barriers and stereotypes.

For us, we chose kroeung because it's the foundation to Khmer cooking. If you have kroeung, you can make a majority of Khmer food, such as Nom Banh Chok, Amok, Salaw Machew, and Curry. 

Location: Bothell, WA
​Service: Painted Furniture and Handmade Home Decor Crafts, Handmade Candles

What is your name and role at The Vintage Company No 7?
My name is Sandra Chhuon and I am the owner. The number seven symbolizes a lucky number. 

What made you become interested in having a furniture design business? 
It just started when I painted vintage furniture for my own home. I'm not a fan of the modern and newer pieces because the quality is not always there and a lot of the times, it was super expensive. I think that it is inexpensive to buy vintage furniture and make it my own! I furnished my whole house and then I started painting furniture to sell. 

What is your favorite part of owning your business so far? What are the challenges? 
It was hard and chaotic having a storefront. It also didn't give me a good work-life balance. Doing my business from home is much better. After getting my job at Comcast, I have been on a break but I will start up again soon. 

I love the creativity - being able to do whatever you want. There's no one to tell you how to do it! 

Tell us about your products or services!
​Painted furniture and custom work. I make candles and other home decor items. You can request items for any place and event. Usually, people use my pieces for their wedding decorations, houses, or offices. 

What else would you like for people to know about you and/or your business?
When it comes to decorating your house, make sure that you are picking the furniture pieces that you really love and not just settling for whatever. Also, don't buy sets of things! Buy items that you love that match with your desired colors and styles. You can keep it within a category (e.g. farmhouses style, mid-modern century) to keep the style cohesive but everything does not have to be matching. If you buy something that is seasonal or trendy, you might not like it later on and change it in the future. 

Typically, for me, this is what makes a place feel more like home.