We've often talked about how food is one of the most easily accessible ways into a culture, and this episode's guest is a perfect living example of that.
Lisa Cheng Smith, founder of Yun Hai Shop in NYC, started Yun Hai as a way to explore her Taiwanese identity. Growing up as a half-Taiwanese/half-American individual, the question of "but where am I really from?" has always been something she was trying to figure out, and Yun Hai allowed her to explore that answer for herself.
Today, Yun Hai is not only a brick and mortar shop in NYC that features artisanal food ingredients from Taiwan, it's also an online retailer, a wholesaler to restaurants, and an important English-based online resource about Taiwanese food and culture through its highly popular Substack. It even made waves last year when it was chosen as one of the few stops former Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-Wen made on her trip to the US!
Listen in to hear about how and why Lisa got started with Yun Hai, how it allowed her to tap into both her Taiwanese and Taiwanese-American parts of her identity, why she cares about giving more spotlight to the art of Taiwanese home cooking, and the upcoming launch of Yun Hai's new Taiwanese cooking show coming out in early December that'll help share more of that spirit to the masses.
If you have questions for Lisa or thoughts about the episode, let us know in the comments below or on our social media!
For all things Yun Hai, find them at:
Instagram: @yunhaishop
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@yunhaishop
Online shop: https://yunhai.shop/
Substack: https://yunhai.substack.com/
Cooking show waitlist: https://yunhai.shop/cooking-show
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