How Foodhini Started - From Our Founder

Hi there, thanks so much for visiting and we hope you can enjoy the incredible foods of our chefs!

I just wanted to take a moment and share the story of how Foodhini started. I had just moved to Washington D.C. in the summer of 2014 to attend graduate school at Georgetown and within a few weeks, I found myself craving my mom's Hmong home cooking. Hmong cuisine, can be found to have many different influences such as Thai and Lao cuisine, but is quite unique. Growing up, my mother cooked up simple and tasty dishes, such as stews, stir frys and grilled meats, but she’s famous for her egg rolls, the perfect blend of glass noodles, vegetables, and ground pork, all lightly fried to perfection. Hmong restaurants don’t exist in DC and I found it nearly impossible to find authentic Thai & Lao cooking. I wondered why I couldn’t connect with a local auntie or grandma in the neighborhood and purchase some of their home cooking.

In that moment, I thought of my mom’s story, coming to this country as a refugee of the Secret War in Laos. Upon arrival to the U.S., the only jobs available to her were low paying due to her limited education and English language skills. Growing up, I saw my mom very little as she worked multiple odd jobs to help make ends meet, but she still made time to make our family amazing meals.  At the time it seemed almost impossible to think she could make a living wage using her best skill, cooking her incredible Hmong food. That was a defining moment for Foodhini. I realized that if I could create a way for talented chefs like my mom to connect and sell their cultural cuisines to customers like me, we could potentially create new jobs and opportunities for communities of diaspora but also introduce authentic cultural dishes to customers that go beyond current restaurant menus.

We've been able to realize our initial vision of creating opportunities for chefs like my mom, and also introduce some amazing food to the Washington DC metro area. I wanted to thank you for being a supporter and joining us in our mission to enjoy food and empower lives.