Latest news with #LunchLady
Vancouver Sun
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Vancouver Sun
Famed 'Lunch Lady' who inspired Vancouver, Toronto restaurants has died
Nguyen Thi Thanh, best known as The Lunch Lady of Saigon, has died. The famed chef behind the Ho Chi Minh City street food stall died Monday following a flight to Toronto. Thanh reportedly experienced cardiac arrest shortly after arrival and could not be resuscitated. Thanh's food cart , where she offered a signature dish for every day of the week, was a local favourite in Ho Chi Minh City until 2009, when the late chef Anthony Bourdain featured The Lunch Lady on his CNN show , No Reservations. Then, it became an international sensation. From that support and exposure, Thanh would go on to call Bourdain both a friend and guardian angel. Her famous Vietnamese food came to Canada in 2020, when local restaurateur Michael Tran and his mother Victoria opened The Lunch Lady at 1046 Commercial Dr. in Vancouver. Thanh was a 'founding partner' in the Canadian operations. In 2022, Thanh visited the Vancouver restaurant for the first time. 'I was overflowing with happiness as soon as I stepped in the restaurant,' Thanh shared in a video following the visit. 'Its scale was absolutely beyond my expectation.' A second location in Toronto was slated to open June 3. A post shared by The Lunch Lady (@thelunchlady) In a post shared to Instagram, the Toronto team behind The Lunch Lady confirmed that Thanh had been travelling to the city in order to assist with the opening. Discover the best of B.C.'s recipes, restaurants and wine. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of West Coast Table will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'She was on her way to celebrate the grand opening of The Lunch Lady Toronto, to be part of this next chapter and share the story she began decades ago in a small alley in Vietnam,' they shared. 'We were ready to welcome her. To honour her. To celebrate this moment together. And now, we are mourning an immeasurable loss.' Noting the creator of the street food sensation was the 'heart and soul of The Lunch Lady,' the late chef was referred to as 'a mother figure, a mentor, a quiet master of her craft.' 'To the world, she was The Lunch Lady. But to me, she was my aunt, my mentor, and someone I loved like family' said Tran in a news release. ' Today, we're mourning more than the loss of our founder. We're mourning her warmth, her generosity — the way she lit up a room without ever needing to speak. Her smile said everything. Her impact went far beyond food. She taught us to lead with care, to cook with soul, and to stay grounded in where we come from.' The Canadian restaurant team is working with Thanh's family to return her body to Vietnam where she will be laid to rest. 'In the meantime, our team is taking time to grieve, to reflect, and to hold space for everything she meant to us,' they shared on social media. The opening of the new Toronto location will be postponed. A new date will be shared by the team 'when the time feels right.' The Vancouver location, which has received three Michelin Bib Gourmand awards, will be closed May 21 for a day of mourning and to allow staff to mourn. Vigils will also be planned in both Vancouver and Toronto, according to The Lunch Lady Canada, with details such as date and locations to be announced. When operations return at the Canadian locations, Tran says the restaurant teams will carry her legacy, with gratitude. ' And with the same heart she brought to every bowl.'
Vancouver Sun
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Vancouver Sun
Famed 'Lunch Lady' behind Vancouver, Toronto restaurants has died
Nguyen Thi Thanh, best known as The Lunch Lady of Saigon, has died. The famed chef behind the Ho Chi Minh City street food stall passed away following a flight to Toronto. Thanh reportedly experienced cardiac arrest shortly after arrival and could not be resuscitated. Thanh's food cart , where she offered a signature dish for every day of the week, was a local favourite in Ho Chi Minh City until 2009, when the late chef Anthony Bourdain featured The Lunch Lady on his CNN show , No Reservations. Then, it became an international sensation. From that support and exposure, Thanh would go on to call Bourdain both a friend and guardian angel. Her famous Vietnamese food came to Canada in 2020, when local restaurateur Michael Tran and his mother Victoria opened The Lunch Lady at 1046 Commercial Dr. in Vancouver. 'I bought the trademarks to her recipes and the Lunch Lady name,' Tran shared i n an article by Vancouver Sun restaurant critic Mia Stainsby published July 21, 2020. Thanh was a 'stakeholder' in the Canadian operations. In 2022, Thanh visited the Vancouver restaurant for the first time. 'I was overflowing with happiness as soon as I stepped in the restaurant,' Thanh shared in a video following the visit. 'Its scale was absolutely beyond my expectation.' A second location in Toronto was slated to open June 3. A post shared by The Lunch Lady (@thelunchlady) In a post shared to Instagram, the Toronto team behind The Lunch Lady confirmed that Thanh had been travelling to the city in order to assist with the opening. Discover the best of B.C.'s recipes, restaurants and wine. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of West Coast Table will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'She was on her way to celebrate the grand opening of The Lunch Lady Toronto, to be part of this next chapter and share the story she began decades ago in a small alley in Vietnam,' they shared. 'We were ready to welcome her. To honour her. To celebrate this moment together. And now, we are mourning an immeasurable loss.' Noting the creator of the street food sensation was the 'heart and soul of The Lunch Lady,' the late chef was referred to as 'a mother figure, a mentor, a quiet master of her craft.' 'To the world, she was The Lunch Lady. But to me, she was my aunt, my mentor, and someone I loved like family' said Tran in a news release. ' Today, we're mourning more than the loss of our founder. We're mourning her warmth, her generosity — the way she lit up a room without ever needing to speak. Her smile said everything. Her impact went far beyond food. She taught us to lead with care, to cook with soul, and to stay grounded in where we come from.' The Canadian restaurant team is working with Thanh's family to return her body to Vietnam where she will be laid to rest. 'In the meantime, our team is taking time to grieve, to reflect, and to hold space for everything she meant to us,' they shared on social media. The opening of the new Toronto location will be postponed. A new date will be shared by the team 'when the time feels right.' The Vancouver location, which has received three Michelin Bib Gourmand awards, will be closed May 21 for a day of mourning and to allow staff to mourn. Vigils will also be planned in both Vancouver and Toronto, according to The Lunch Lady Canada, with details such as date and locations to be announced. When operations return at the Canadian locations, Tran says the restaurant teams will carry her legacy, with gratitude. ' And with the same heart she brought to every bowl.'
South China Morning Post
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
‘Lunch Lady' Vietnamese street food chef made famous by Anthony Bourdain dies in Canada
Nguyen Thi Thanh, the Vietnamese woman whose food was praised by celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain – who nicknamed her 'Lunch Lady' – has died at the age of 58 in Toronto, Canada. Her death was announced by the owners of The Lunch Lady restaurant in Vancouver, Canada, on Instagram. Nguyen Thi Thanh had just arrived in Toronto, Canada, to help prepare for the opening of the Lunch Lady restaurant there on June 3 when she went into cardiac arrest and medical personnel were unable to revive her, according to the social media post. The post said Thanh was with loved ones when she died. 'We were ready to welcome her. To honour her. To celebrate this moment together. And now, we are mourning an immeasurable loss,' it read. 'Cô Thanh wasn't just the heart and soul of The Lunch Lady. She was a mother figure, a mentor, a quiet master of her craft. Her food told stories. Her presence made people feel seen. Her legacy lives in every bowl, every herb, every careful moment in the kitchen.'
