Meet Kinnalone of Auntie Bee's Kitchen
We're proud to feature Auntie Bee's Ma Der Ma Der sauce in our Hot S.O.S Box: The Phet Phet Pack!
About Kinnalone
Hi! My name is Kinnalone Bee Savatdy, but everyone calls me Bee. I am the owner and founder of Auntie Bee’s Kitchen LLC. I grew up in San Diego, CA and I am 32 years old. My parents moved here from Laos in 1986 and I was born a couple years after. I wasn’t born in Laos but I love to cook Lao food. I love cooking food from all around the world, but my favorite dishes are Laotian dishes. Something about Laotian food just makes me feel so comforted and wholesome. That feeling made me want to start our Auntie Bee’s Kitchen Company. I wanted to share our food with so many people. I wanted to share that love and passion mixed with delicious food to people all around the world. We tried to make something convenient and easy, and that's how we came out with our Ma Der Ma Der sauce (Jeow Som). We started Auntie Bee’s Kitchen in 2017 not knowing how our sauce would do, since it was the first of its kind out on the market. With that fear of failing, we strived to work hard no matter what came our way. We have now expanded to over 10 states and 50+ stores. We are just at the beginning of our journey, and we hope to have our sauce in a store near you very soon.
Follow Auntie Bee's Kitchen on social media:
IG: @AuntieBeesKitchen
Facebook: Auntie Bee's Kitchen
TikTok: @beesavatdy
What inspired you to become a chef/food biz owner?
Ever since I was young, I just loved watching my mom and aunts cook. Learning everything about Lao cooking has really paved a path for me now with my hot sauce company. I wanted to highlight my culture and bring something to supermarkets that was convenient and fast for when you get home from a long day of work. Laotian cooking has many steps and everyone knows after a long day of work that the last thing you want to do is bring out your kohk & sahk (pestle and mortar) and thum (smash) something in the middle of the night LOL. So we came out with our Ma Der Ma Der sauce, which is our Jeow Som sauce, but you can use it to make papaya salad as well.
What is your favorite dish?
I have too many favorite dishes. My favorite dish of all time would probably be nam kao, which is kind of like a fried coconut curry ball with nam (fermented ground pork). Is there a story behind it? No story, it just tastes amazing! So many flavors and textures it’s definitely something you should try if you haven’t so already.
What does courage mean to you?
I think of courage as bravery to do things people may not want to do. To be courageous is to start something that no one has done before and take risks that people didn’t want to take.
Where can we expect to see you in the next few years?
Our goal is to bring our sauce line to a store near you. We hope to get into many other states by the end of the year! We set our goals high because we are believers, and when you believe in yourself and team there is nothing we can’t do. We are definitely going to work hard and make our supporters proud of us.
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Thank you so much Kinnalone for sharing her story with us! Tuk Tuk Box is proud to exclusively feature Southeast Asian ingredients and include refugee, migrant, and generational stories in every box.
If you or someone you know wants to share their story with us, send us an email: hello@tuktukbox.com. Stay tuned for future stories and the newest products by subscribing to our email list serv.
