Asian in Austin

Minh Vu and Sandra Pham
  • 5.0 (11)
  • SOCIETY & CULTURE
  • UPDATED MONTHLY

Asian in Austin is a podcast by Minh Vu and Sandra Pham to elevate the voices and stories of Asian Americans living in Austin, Texas while exploring what it means to come into one's own Asian American identity and experience by inviting open dialogue and conversation with community members.

  1. 12/21/2024

    306. Celebrating Asian in Austin

    Thank you so much to all of our listeners and supporters along the way. This month's episode is a short reflection celebrating the podcast and sharing our plans for the future. Follow us at @asianinatx on instagram to keep up with us!

    6 min
  2. 305. From South Bronx to ATX w/ Chef Harold Villarosa

    09/17/2024

    305. From South Bronx to ATX w/ Chef Harold Villarosa

    Chef Harold Villarosa, originally from the Philippines and raised in the South Bronx, shares his journey from fast food joints to working at world-renowned restaurants like Noma. Now residing in Austin, Texas, he talks about his new role as a father, his exciting culinary projects like OKO Austin, and his dedication to community building through authentic Filipino cuisine. Learn how Chef Harold is blending his rich cultural heritage with innovative culinary techniques, and his vision for the future of Asian cuisine in Austin. Topics Covered: • Chef Harold's background and culinary journey • His experiences working at prestigious restaurants • The transition to Austin and upcoming Filipino restaurant Oko • His commitment to sustainable, community-oriented food practices • The importance of food media and storytelling in today's culinary world Materials Referenced:OKO Austin Chef Harold Villarosa InstagramAlice Waters Edible Schoolyard

    55 min
  3. 304. Collaborating with AANHPI-serving Nonprofits in Austin

    08/19/2024

    304. Collaborating with AANHPI-serving Nonprofits in Austin

    Speakers from Asian Family Support Services of Austin (AFSSA), Asian Texans for Justice (ATJ), Austin Asian American Film Festival (AAAFF), and Austin Asian Community Health Initiative (AACHI) joined us for a live moderated panel discussion at the Austin Asian Professional Summit in May this year. During the discussion we learned more about the direct services and support they offer to the AANHPI community in Austin, why it's important to focus on our community and how individuals can get companies involved to support their work. Moderated by: Minh Vu, Asian in Austin Podcast Panelists:  Zahra Shakur Jamal, Director of Prevention, Outreach and Education, Asian Support Family Services of AustinHailey Easley, Executive Director, Austin Asian Community Health InitiativeSabrina Sha, Operations and Development Manager, Asian Texans for JusticeHanna Huang, Executive Director, Austin Asian American Film Festival The Austin Asian Professional Summit was hosted in collaboration with the Asian American Resource Center and the Greater Austin Asian Chamber of Commerce, with support from Austin Asian Film Festival, Orchid Events, and Northshore Media. Materials Referenced:  Austin Asian Professional SummitAsian Support Family Services of Austin (IG)Austin Asian Community Health Initiative (IG)Asian Texans for Justice (IG)Austin Asian American Film Festival (IG)Asian American Resource Center (IG)Greater Austin Asian Chamber of Commerce (IG)Orchid Events (IG)Northshore Media (IG)

    34 min
  4. 303. Serving Soupleaf Hot Pot w/ Nelson Lin

    07/23/2024

    303. Serving Soupleaf Hot Pot w/ Nelson Lin

    Nelson Lin is a retired Chinese restaurant child laborer, with decades of experience in the food industry and shoving down his feelings. He currently takes credit for running Soupleaf Hot Pot with his mom and brother, which is Austin's first all you can eat hot pot restaurant. He also runs a meme group called Subtle Asian Real Estate, with over 23,000 members helping each other get from 0 to 1 on their first home. Subtle Asset Management, his investment company, primarily focuses on funding affordable housing with $35M AUM. He has degrees in engineering from Columbia University and Cal Poly SLO, and was formerly a techie at Apple, Microsoft, and Brookfield Asset Management. Topics Covered:• The history of his family from the Fujian province in China.• Austin's welcoming environment for restaurateurs • The difference between Austin's Asian food scene and other larger areas• Mom and pop run Asian restaurants vs a newer wave of restaurants • Running a restaurant with family members• Striking balance of authenticity when serving hot pot • The success behind Soupleaf • Investing in real estate and tips on how to get started Materials Referenced: Soupleaf HotpotSubtle Asian Real Estate GroupThe Snakehead: An Epic Tale of the Chinatown Underworld and the American Dream by Patrick Radden

    54 min
  5. 302. Real Self-Care w/ Dr. Pooja Lakshmin MD

    06/25/2024

    302. Real Self-Care w/ Dr. Pooja Lakshmin MD

    Dr. Pooja Lakshmin MD is a board-certified psychiatrist, author, keynote speaker, and a contributor to The New York Times. Her debut book, REAL SELF-CARE: Crystals, Cleanses, and Bubble-Baths Not Included, is an NPR Best Book of 2023 and a national best-seller. Real Self-Care has been featured by Good Morning America, NPR’s Code Switch, The New York Times, The Ezra Klein Show, The Guardian, and translated into 10 languages. She lives in Austin with her partner Justin, their toddler, and their two cats, Kitty and Fifi. Topics Covered: • Growing up spending summers in India and navigating life as a "Good Indian Girl" • Becoming disillusioned with medicine and psychiatry and that journey that led her on• Her move to Austin since 2020 and how that experience has been • The growing interest in self-care and what the difference is between self-care and faux self-care• The nuances of holistic or integrative medicine and the barriers communities of people face in mainstream medicine • The differences between tools and principles in real self-care and how they can work together to help you make big decisions in life• How to apply real self-care to Asian American guilt • Disrupting intergenerational trauma • How to identify which boundaries are yours vs boundaries that may have been passed down by your culture or family Materials Referenced:  REAL SELF-CARE: Crystals, Cleanses, and Bubble-Baths Not Included by Dr. Pooja Lakshmin MDDr. Pooja Lakshmin InstagramGood Morning America SegmentNPR's Code Switch: Real self-care takes real systemic change

    1h 9m

  6. 05/21/2024

    301. Let Yourself off the Hook w/ promqueen

    On the heels of her being announced as part of ACL Fest's 2024 line up, KUTX's artist of the month and more, we're talking to the pop rap artist promqueen to share more about her past year, her musical inspirations, and more!  promqueen (she/they) is a second generation queer Vietnamese American pop rap artist based in Austin, TX. As a daughter to Vietnamese born parents, promqueen draws lyrical inspiration from her family history, own experiences and self reflection as second generation raised in Texas.  Alongside music, promqueen thrives in collaborative environments as a multidisciplinary artist across acting, community organizing and writing. promqueen is active in the AAPI community, performing at Asian Culture Fair, Asia World Night Market, AAAFF Gala, AARC Tonesfest and UT’s Silk Club 10th zine release anniversary. Through her music, she hopes AAPI folks feel encouraged to process, express and share their art to the world. Topics Covered:  • Learnings and reflections from her szn one EP release in 2023 and what 2024 has brought• Writing a family memoir and how it inspired the music and development of promqueen • Music inspirations from both Vietnamese music and rap• Themes in her music and what's to come for the rest of 2024 • Jewelry and its symbolism  Materials Referenced:  Instagram: @saypromqueenWebsite: saypromqueen.comJuly 13th second annual prom ticket presaleszn two vinyl pre orderJune 1st Show - Arlington, TXPopulation Change and Demographic Trends for Austin’s Asian American PopulationKUTX Artist of the MonthACL 2024 LineupParis by Night / Lynda Trang DaiKim Son Jewlery

    53 min

  7. 03/29/2024

    S3E0 - Meeting Up at SXSW

    We've got a special episode recapping the opportunity to host an official AAPI meetup at South by Southwest (SXSW) this year along with teasing our new season this year. Topics Covered: • Our experience at SXSW this year and what we hope to see next year • A brief unofficial primer on SXSW along with a few pro tips on how to navigate the festival• Our plans for Season 3 and the podcast Materials Referenced: • AAPI Meetup at SXSW• Vietnamese-Hungarian Singer, Hien

    27 min
  8. 205. Reporting Live w/ Jenni Lee

    12/12/2023

    205. Reporting Live w/ Jenni Lee

    Jenni Lee is an investigative reporter and Midday anchor at KVUE in Austin, Texas. Jenni joined the KVUE news Team in June 2015 as the Weekend Daybreak anchor and weekday reporter but the veteran journalist has worked in the Austin TV market since 2001. Before arriving in Austin, Jenni worked at KBTX-TV in Bryan and College Station after graduating from the University of Texas at Austin. For more than 20 years now, Jenni has been breaking and covering stories important to our community and to our world. Her work has been recognized by several organizations: the Texas Associated Press of Broadcasters; the Lone Star Emmy Chapter; the American Cancer Society; the Diversity Council and the Austin Mayor's Committee for People with Disabilities. Jenni was born and raised in Richardson, a suburb of Dallas. She is married, has a son, adopted two crazy rescue dogs and is raising all of them. She no longer does gymnastics. NOTE: This episode was recorded in Summer of 2023. Topics Covered: • The origins of her interest in journalism • Her experience with gymnastics • Taking a break from anchoring • One of the most challenging stories she's had to cover. • Reporting during the height of the Stop Asian Hate movement • AAPI representation in news reporting and in media and her experience in that • Separating work from home life and the importance of work/life balance and self care exercises• The story Jenni still wants to share• The importance of mental health • What brought Jenni to Austin and what's kept her here• What does Jenni want to be known for? • Her relationship to her ethnic identity today. Materials Referenced: 3 Part KVUE Series: The fasting-growing minority segment in Austin - AAPIKome, Coco's Cafe, Qi Austin99 Ranch, 85 Bakery, Soup Leaf Hot PotPew - Asian Americans are the fastest-growing racial or ethnic group in the U.S.KVUE: Jenni Lee

    50 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
11 Ratings

About

Asian in Austin is a podcast by Minh Vu and Sandra Pham to elevate the voices and stories of Asian Americans living in Austin, Texas while exploring what it means to come into one's own Asian American identity and experience by inviting open dialogue and conversation with community members.

Information

  • Creator
    Minh Vu and Sandra Pham
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2024
  • Episodes
    21
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Minh Vu and Sandra Pham