"The beauty of this book is that it combines recipes with memoir, and each works to enhance the other. The Vietnamese recipes help tell the story within the memoir—a story of the American Dream, how Tung Nguyen escaped from Vietnam in 1975 and ended up in Miami, taken in by a graduate student named Kathy Manning. Five years later, the two women opened a restaurant together, Hy Vong, and their story continued to blossom."
—Food & Wine
Through powerful narrative, archival imagery, and 20 Vietnamese recipes that mirror their story, Mango & Peppercorns is a unique contribution to culinary literature.
In 1975, after narrowly escaping the fall of Saigon, pregnant refugee and gifted cook Tung Nguyen ended up in the Miami home of Kathy Manning, a graduate student and waitress who was taking in displaced Vietnamese refugees. This serendipitous meeting evolved into a decades-long partnership, one that eventually turned strangers into family and a tiny, no-frills eatery into one of the most lauded restaurants in the country.
Tung's fierce practicality often clashed with Kathy's free-spirited nature, but over time, they found a harmony in their contrasts—a harmony embodied in the restaurant's signature mango and peppercorns sauce.
- IMPORTANT, UNIVERSAL STORY: An inspiring memoir peppered with recipes, it is a riveting read that will appeal to fans of Roy Choi, Ed Lee, Ruth Reichl, and Kwame Onwuachi.
- TIMELY TOPIC: This real-life American dream is a welcome reminder of our country's longstanding tradition of welcoming refugees and immigrants. This book adds a touchpoint to that larger conversation, resonating beyond the bookshelf.
- INVENTIVE COOKBOOK: This book is taking genre-bending a step further, focusing on the story first and foremost with 20 complementary recipes.
- Fans of culinary nonfiction
- Fans of Ruth Reichl, Roy Choi, Kwame Onwuachi, and Anya Von Bremzen
- Home cooks who are interested in Asian food and cooking
"The beauty of this book is that it combines recipes with memoir, and each works to enhance the other. The Vietnamese recipes help tell the story within the memoir—a story of the American Dream, how Tung Nguyen escaped from Vietnam in 1975 and ended up in Miami, taken in by a graduate student named Kathy Manning. Five years later, the two women opened a restaurant together, Hy Vong, and their story continued to blossom."
—Food & Wine