How Taste Curator’s Chef Mimi Lan Nourishes Her Culinary Mission of Giving Back to the Refugee Community

When Chef Mimi was a kid living in New Orleans, she enjoyed helping her aunt’s makeshift phở shop by pouring water for the patrons who gathered in the small apartment. A few plastic tables and folding chairs crowded her aunt’s living room, with happy faces slurping up bowls of steaming phở noodles.  

Mimi and her family had resettled in New Orleans after the fall of Saigon, Vietnam in 1975. Her father chose the Big Easy for its French influence, hoping their French language skills would ease their transition. However, the family quickly realized the French spoken in Louisiana was quite different from what they expected. Still, Chef Mimi and her family were grateful for the chance to start fresh in the United States. 

Chef Mimi as a young girl with her family in Saigon, Vietnam

Word quickly spread after her aunt opened a phở shop in her home. More and more visitors arrived at the one-bedroom sanctuary, where Vietnamese immigrants gathered, shared stories, and found comfort in the familiar flavors of home. 

“It was a place where refugees came to commiserate, to be happy and sad together,” Chef Mimi said. Mimi saw the magic of food and its power to build community, something initially lost to the Vietnamese community.  

But the thought of becoming a chef had never occurred to her until much later in her life. 

“Like many immigrant families, we were encouraged to choose a practical profession that would make it easier to find a job,” Chef Mimi said. “Being a cook was considered hard labor, and that was never seen as an option for me.” 

Instead, Mimi had studied marketing and worked for several companies before opening a marketing boutique agency in Houston, Texas, which she successfully operated for 15 years. It wasn’t until she moved from Houston to Florida when she had the chance to pursue her passion of cooking all along.

Feeding A Passion for Cooking 

When it came time to become a chef, Mimi knew exactly what she wanted to do: to host pop-up dinners and bring people together to share her Vietnamese culture and the beauty of other cultures from around the world through food.

Chef Mimi established Taste Curator, a pop-up and private dining project aiming to create unforgettable dining experiences infused with storytelling to connect and share hers infused with other cultures through food. Through her pop-up dinner series, Mimi aspires to share the history and story behind the dishes while offering authentic Vietnamese food with a global twist, also known as VIGLO (Vietnamese + global cuisines).  

“I’ve grown up in Vietnam eating the most authentic Vietnamese food,” Chef Mimi said. “And with my annual trips to Vietnam I’ve also experienced the evolution of Vietnamese food; so I wanted to share my own taste memory before 1975 in Vietnam, blended with new Vietnamese cuisines after ‘75 happening in Vietnam and all over the States, to reimagine Vietnamese food based on my experiences above, combined with what I’ve learned from my stages and travels.” 

A Giving Culture: “To do well, we’ve got to do good.” 

Chef Mimi's commitment to uplifting others who share a similar journey is evident in her recent decision to hire a refugee Burmese woman, introduced to her by the Lutheran church, to assist with her private dinners. This opportunity allows the woman to do what she loves, earn an income, hone her commercial cooking skills, and improve her English—all while reinforcing Mimi’s dedication to supporting the refugee community. 

Beyond the kitchen, Mimi and her husband have spent over 20 years returning to Vietnam annually to support their nonprofit, which recruits volunteer doctors to improve healthcare in Da Nang.  

In 2015, she expanded the mission by organizing arts and crafts projects for hospitalized children, offering volunteers a meaningful way to give back. Chef Mimi also donates proceeds from her VIGLO pop-up dinners to various charities. 

“I believe that in order to do well, we’ve got to do good,” Chef Mimi said. 

As a successful chef, Mimi has never forgotten those early lessons, and carries them with her as she prepares to participate in a special event that resonates with her own journey. 

Peace By Chocolate: A Special Event with LSS 

On September 14th, at the University of North Florida's Robinson Theater, Mimi will donate her time and culinary talents to prepare a VIGLO dish for the VIP reception for the screening of Peace by Chocolate—a film that tells the true story of a Syrian refugee family who rebuilds their lives by starting a chocolate-making business in Canada. 

This event, hosted by Lutheran Social Services of Northeast Florida (LSS), aims to raise awareness about the refugee plight in Jacksonville and beyond. Like the Hadhads in the film, Mimi’s family also sought refuge in a new land. 

LSS, which has been serving the Jacksonville community since 1979, understands the challenges refugees face. The organization has resettled thousands of refugees over the years, providing them with the tools and support they need to build new lives in the United States. In 2023 alone, LSS served over 2,500 refugee clients, helping them find housing, employment, and a sense of belonging. 

Bill Brim, the President & CEO of LSS, was deeply moved when he first watched Peace by Chocolate. The film’s message of resilience and hope struck a chord with him, inspiring him to bring the movie to Jacksonville. "When I saw the film, I was reminded of the incredible strength and determination that refugees bring to our community," Brim said. "I knew that we had to share this story, to remind people of the humanity behind the headlines and the vital work we do at LSS." 

For Chef Mimi, participating in this event is more than just an opportunity to cook—it’s a chance to give back to the community that once helped her own family. “When we first arrived in the United States, my parents relied on the generosity of the Churches, social services, and the government to feed their eight children. I remember as a kid, I was so excited every time a donation truck made its round in our neighborhood to drop off hand-me-downs and perishable food. These generous gestures from strangers we’ve never met meant more to us and helped us so much.” 

As the guests at the VIP reception savor the flavors of Mimi’s globally-inspired cuisine, they’ll also be partaking in a larger story—one of resilience, community, and the enduring power of hope. Through events like this, LSS continues to shine a light on the refugee experience, reminding us all of the strength and spirit that define those who seek a new beginning. 

Chef Mimi shared her excitement for the film screening event. “I can’t wait to watch this movie with my husband, knowing that it will be an emotional experience for us.” 

To learn more about Chef Mimi and her Taste Curator pop-up dining experience, visit her website at tastecurator.com or follow her on Instagram at @thetastecurator. Visit LSSJAX.ORG to learn more about Lutheran Social Services of Northeast Florida and its refugee resettlement program. 

Reserve your seats for the Peace By Chocolate film screening or show your support by donating to LSS. Visit LSSJAX.ORG/CHOCOLATE to secure your spot, or go to LSSJAX.ORG/DONATE to make a contribution.