We had the good fortune of connecting with Ae Southammavong and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ae, what role has risk played in your life or career?

I did not always have a positive approach to risk. Growing up, I was always the good student in school, the good employee at work and did everything right. I took the advice of my family to study finance in college to understand risk and money. Money was the driving force for everything in my life for a long time. This mindsight lasted for almost a decade until I found myself unfulfilled and yearning for something more.

The evolution of self-love plays a key role in how I started operating later on in life. Who am I? What do I want? And what am I willing to risk for the life I want to live? As I was approaching 30, I soon was infatuated with these questions. I wanted to live with purpose, but it what cost?

Let me tell you, the whispers from the universe will become louder and louder as time goes by; it never goes away, no matter how hard you try to dim the noise. I was secure and stable. I was safe, but I wasn’t free. I did everything right, but nothing felt right to me. As I contemplated with this internal struggle, I knew I had to do something drastic to take control of my life and where it was heading.

One day, I find myself being mistreated at work, and I had a decision to make; do I stand up for myself? Or do I remain passive? At that moment, I was overpowered with many emotions, and this is where self-love comes in the picture. If I allow people to treat me this way, what does it say about how I treat myself? This question prompted me to finally stand up and from there I decided to quit my job, on the spot. I had no plan, no stability, and no idea on what I was going to do. Ironically, instead of feeling scared, I felt liberated and free.

I decided to risk everything for me and what I believed in. Everything has a price, and what am I willing to pay for my freedom? From that point forward, I started to pursue my passion for cooking and sharing my Lao culture to the world. This fueled my soul and slowly I realized that I was finally living in my purpose. I branched out and started to share who I was, unapologetically. From that honesty, I fearlessly created opportunities for myself and along the way, found new opportunities opening up for me. I now own and operate a meal prep company called StirFryMaster and I also host private dinner parties. Recently, I was casted on Gordon Ramsey’s Next Level Chef which currently airs on the FOX network.

After years of playing it safe, I had the courage to risk it all and bet on myself. People fear the unknown, but don’t understand that the unknown can quite literally be anything. The unknown may not necessarily be something bad, it can actually be something so beautiful. So jump, take that risk, and enjoy the adventure. Live in your truth. When I decided to live in my truth, it set me free.

What should our readers know about your business?

I currently run and operate StirFryMaster, a meal prep company focused on Lao and Southeast Asian cuisine. I started this company right before the pandemic, and I catered to professionals looking to have tasty meals for work at their 9 to 5 with different variety and flavors. Clients pick up 5 meals from me to enjoy for the week. After the pandemic hit, I found myself catering to families who were tired of cooking and being on lockdown! I would say that the pandemic was a blessing in disguise for me and allowed my business to take off the way it did.

Every business has its challenges, and I had many! I was a one woman show, so I was in charge of sales, marketing, cooking, you name it, I did it all. I had to be creative and approach all aspects differently. Social media helped tremendously with marketing and sales. I had to learn how to post effectively and market efficiently. I knew that the best advertising for food was word of mouth, so in the early days I would give out free food so people could see and taste what I was all about. People talk and come back when the product is good, no matter what the product is, so that was my approach to marketing. The cooking is self-explanatory, long days whipping the wok and having meals ready on time for clients was a struggle for sure, but I kept going because of pure passion. From there my business started to take off, purely off of referrals. To this day, I still have not paid for an ad to promote my business.

I would say that the most challenging thing for me so far is building a team and expanding. I want to maintain my meal prep business but branch out with pre-packaged products, sauces, and maybe even cookware. I want StirFryMaster to be available to the masses and sold on shelves of different supermarkets. The vision is there and I need to get to work!

I cried a lot, I still do, and my favorite places to cry are in the shower and in my car. A good scream while holding your steering wheel works wonders too, highly recommend. People think that owning your own business is fun and exciting, and it is, but many do not know the struggles of it. As I am growing my business, I learn new things every single day, and I can proudly say that some days I wake up clueless, but I keep going.

I want to world to eat and experience Lao and Southeast Asian food, and I feel it is my purpose to share my culture and flavors to the world!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.

List of my favorite places not in order:

Ban Lao – Boat Noodles
So Saap – Lao Fried Fish Wraps
Sabelee – Duck Laab
Ironside – Oysters
Herb & Wood – fun date night
Callie – date night
Minh Ky – Duck Noodles
Polite Provison – night out with friends
Mien Trung – Bun Bo Hue
Shabumi – Shabu
Handoo KBBQ – Korean BBQ
Buona Forchetta – Pizza and Pasta

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

I want to give a shoutout to my Lao community! Thank you for all the love and support everyone has shown me throughout my journey of sharing Lao food and culture to the world. I am so proud to be a Lao girl representing my people and I have made it a purpose in my life to educate and share our flavors to the world! All my love

Instagram: @stirfrymaster personal is @aebaybayy

Twitter: @aebaybayy

Facebook: @aebaybayy or Ae Southammavong

Youtube: www.youtube.com/c/twerkingtastebuds

Other: tiktok @aebaybayy

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutSocal is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.