Debbie grew up with a mixture of Vietnamese, Chinese, and Jewish-American home-cooking.  Though originally from the bay area, she has lived and worked all across Asia, from Beijing to New Delhi, before relocating to Los Angeles, CA. Wei Kitchen reflects the depth of Debbie's travels as well as her stubbornness for recreating and transporting the flavors she grew up loving. Her favorite products hope to inspire experimentation with new areas of cooking and entertaining in your home. Debbie is the founder and CEO of Wei Kitchen.  

My career took me all over the world in my twenties - frequently moving to new cities and constantly traveling for long assignments.  While I enjoyed new places, finding the cuisine I grew up loving was nearly impossible.  I come from a family incredibly passionate (read: obsessive) about food; and the combination of Vietnamese, Chinese, and Jewish flavors that comfort me aren't always easy to find in places like Mexico City or Kathmandu. Most people when they visit their hometown go visit restaurants; in our family we spend all our time in the kitchen. Recreating those flavors and the community around them has become one of my biggest passions.

After a year assignment with the World Bank in New Delhi, India, I took time off from any intense role I would normally seek to think about what I would really want to do with my life, and began to come up with business ideas. I considered ideas for Apps, consulting companies, books, websites, and more. Every successful business owner I knew gave the advice of, “You now just have to choose.”

Now that I’m on the other side, I’m not sure when I officially chose Wei Kitchen. Maybe it happened when I was finally able to describe the business and it wasn’t a punchline. Maybe it was after I paid for business permits. Maybe it was when I started working with Nate Woods, whose amazing talent made me want to chase and guide that type of creation more than anything.

I chose Wei Kitchen because I know people will love these types of products and cooking. I chose this idea because I wake up excited everyday that I get to share my favorite things. I couldn’t be more thrilled to help people fall in love with these products, flavors, and type of cooking like my family has for me. I can’t wait to continue to see this crazy idea take shape.