Mango and Peppercorns: A Memoir of Food, an Unlikely Family, and the American Dream

by Tung Nguyen, Katherine Manning, Lyn Nguyen, Elisa Ung, Michelle Bernstein Narrated by Quyen Ngo, Cindy Kay, VyVy Nguyen

Overview

A powerful memoir of resilience, friendship, family, and food from the acclaimed chefs behind the award-winning Hy Vong Vietnamese restaurant in Miami.

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.

Perfect for:

¿ 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

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"Mango and Peppercorns is a touching and inspirational culinary journey into a fascinating culture and a cuisine that I adore. This incredible story about the dream of a refugee that fled Communist rule in Vietnam hit home for me. Her passion for food made her American dream come true. It’s a story that one needs to savor and appreciate, along with the delicious recipes that are inspired by it." —Lidia Bastianich, Celebrity Chef and Public Television host

“This multinarrator memoir shines with the power of resilience, friendship, family, and food to bring together two women from different backgrounds and inspire them to build Hy Vong, an award-winning Vietnamese restaurant in Miami…a unique contribution to culinary literature that would be a great addition to a collection of food memoirs.”– Library Journal

Library Journal

03/01/2021

This multinarrator memoir shines with the power of resilience, friendship, family, and food to bring together two women from vastly different backgrounds and inspire them to build Hy Vong, an award-winning Vietnamese restaurant in Miami. Vietnamese refugee Tung Nguyen and her American host, Kathy Manning, are polar opposites, with Tung being as staunch and practical as Kathy is free-spirited. Their dynamic is captured in this memoir, also cowritten by Lyn Nguyen (Tung's daughter) and food writer Elisa Ung, as each chapter is told from Tung's and Kathy's alternating perspectives documenting decades of partnership. It is easy to see how their differences helped contribute to the great success of their restaurant, with Tung cooking delicious and traditional Vietnamese soups and comfort foods and Kathy navigating the ins and outs of the business. Woven throughout the book are mouth-watering recipes of either Vietnamese or Swedish origin that tie into the chapters and add another level to this dual memoir. VERDICT A unique contribution to culinary literature that would be a great addition to a collections of food memoirs, but may not stand out to readers looking for recipes alone.—Siobhan Egan, Barrington Public Library, Barrington, RI

Product Details

BN ID:	2940177260655
Publisher:	Hachette Audio
Publication date:	03/16/2021
Edition description:	Unabridged

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