Mary Nguyen Aregoni: From refugee to restaurateur
Posted: October 31, 2019, 11:46AMMary Nguyen Aregoni was still a child when her family was forced to flee their native Laos during the Vietnam War. They arrived on foot in Thailand, where they lived in a refugee camp immigrating to the United States. Aregoni later spent 20 years in marketing and IT at Procter and Gamble. After living through 9/11 as a New York City resident, she decided it was time to follow her dream: to open a Vietnamese restaurant. With the help of her sister Theresa, Saigon Sisters was born. The brand now includes three locations in Chicago, as well as Thai restaurant Bang Chop Thai.
Watch Aregoni talk about embracing entrepreneurship: