STORY

Hidden in the plain sight of a Midwestern college town, the Vietnamese War refugee Yen Hoang has served at the University of Notre Dame’s Campus Dining team for over 16 years. She has learned to call America home for over 40 years. Yet the one thing Yen cannot get used to is American food.

A devoted chef, Yen keeps bringing Asian students a taste of home not only with her dining hall stir-fries but also homemade Vietnamese soups and buns. Nothing - whether it is the painful memories on the boat or the hardship of American Dream - can thwart her courageous love for others.