Chef, restaurateur, and activist Diep Tran sits down with us at the Charleston Wine and Food Festival to talk about the story behind her successful American Diner/Vietnamese LA eatery, Good Girl Dinette. A Vietnamese immigrant, Tran grew up watching her grandmother grow the Los Angeles restaurant chain, Pho 79. She also witnessed the grueling work her family put into restaurant industry, only to receive cut-rate wages at the end of their 16-hour days. Tran has since become a prominent advocate for raising wages for restaurant workers, paying employees of her own restaurant more than minimum wage and speaking about how cheap prices undercut both wages and the value of ethnic food. Tran’s restaurant has recently been featured on shows like “Ugly Delicious” and the Emmy award-winning “Migrant Kitchen.”

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