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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251001T150000
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SUMMARY:Building and Sustaining Your Business Through the Power of Community
DESCRIPTION:Asian American founders on finding the support to build\, sustain and thrive in the restaurant industry.\n\n\n**This event will be online only** \nMegan Nakano\, Executive Director and Founder of the Asian American Chamber of Commerce of Illinois\, moderates a conversation with Mary Aregoni\, CEO & Founder of Saigon Sisters\, and Kathy Vega Hardy\, Owner of A Taste of the Philippines\, on sustaining their brands through community.The discussion includes : \n\nLearn how Asian American entrepreneurs have leveraged community connections to launch\, sustain\, and grow their businesses\nDiscover strategies for turning cultural identity and authenticity into a competitive business advantage\nHear firsthand how Kathy Vega Hardy and Mary Aregoni navigated challenges\, built loyal audiences\, and expanded their brands\nGain insights on creating partnerships between small businesses\, corporations\, and civic institutions\nExplore the role of mentorship\, collaboration\, and storytelling in scaling entrepreneurial success\n\n\n\nJoin Megan Nakano in conversation with Mary Aregoni and Kathy Vega Hardy\n\n\n\nMEGAN NAKANO is the Executive Director and Founder of the Asian American Chamber of Commerce of Illinois (AACCIL)\, where she provides pro bono consulting for Asian American entrepreneurs and those seeking to do business with them. With 25+ years of experience across the public\, private\, and nonprofit sectors\, Megan is dedicated to bringing resources and opportunities to disadvantaged communities. She has previously served as Director of the Asian American Alliance Small Business Development Center\, as a commercial lender and CRA Officer for an Asian American community bank\, and with the Chicago Minority Supplier Development Council helping Fortune 500 companies and government agencies advance their supplier diversity programs. A Chicago native\, she has served on numerous boards and advisory councils at the city\, state\, and federal levels. \n  \n\n\n\nMARY AREGONI is the CEO and Founder of Saigon Sisters\, a Chicago-based restaurant recognized for bringing the vibrant flavors of Vietnam to the mainstream. Since opening in 2009\, she has grown Saigon Sisters across diverse service models—from restaurants and food halls to airports\, hospitals\, catering\, and delivery—demonstrating resilience in the competitive dining industry. Mary is celebrated as a trailblazer for Asian American women in food\, empowering others through leadership and mentorship. She is active in Let’s Talk Womxn\, Les Dames d’Escoffier\, and the James Beard Women’s Leadership Program\, and is widely recognized as a champion of Vietnamese cuisine. \n  \n\n\n\nKATHY VEGA HARDY is the owner and chef behind A Taste of the Philippines. Born in Manila\, she launched her concept as a food truck in Denver in 2012 before relocating to Chicago in 2018\, where she has grown it from farmers markets to the Chicago French Market and now her Jefferson Park restaurant. Kathy has been featured in the Chicago Tribune\, Eater Chicago\, and Block Club Chicago\, and gained national recognition competing on Food Network’s Cutthroat Kitchen and Chopped. Her dishes—lumpia\, pancit\, and ube creations—blend tradition and innovation\, bringing Filipino cuisine to wider audiences while showcasing the resilience and staying power of Asian American women restaurateurs. \n  \n\n\nPlease note:\nIMPORTANT! You’ll need to be logged in to Eventbrite to access the webinar on the date of the program. For this\, you’ll need to create a (free) account with Eventbrite using the same email address that you used to register for the event. \nThis program will be held using Zoom. The link to access the Zoom webinar will be sent to you via a confirmation email after you register. \nIf you’re unfamiliar with the features of Zoom please take a moment to familiarize yourself with them here: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us or look up any online tutorial. \nZoom may process some personally identifying information about you\, for more information please review https://zoom.us/privacy. \nClick here to view NYPL’s Privacy Policy.
URL:https://potluckasianamerica.org/event/building-and-sustaining-your-business-through-the-power-of-community/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:Business,Virtual
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250728T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250728T180000
DTSTAMP:20260509T031050
CREATED:20250712T055015Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250716T161730Z
UID:10001545-1753722000-1753725600@potluckasianamerica.org
SUMMARY:From Corporate to Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) CEOs – Asian Women Building
DESCRIPTION:Megan Nakano moderates a chat with Susan Chen of Madame Susan Sauces and Teresa Ging of Sugar Bliss.\n\n\n**This event will be online only** \nFounders Susan Chen (Madame Susan Sauces) and Teresa Ging (Sugar Bliss) share their transitions from corporate careers to building successful CPG food brands. \nTopics covered include: \n\nBrand Building: Learn how they approached storytelling\, marketing\, and connecting with their audience to grow their businesses.\nChallenges & Opportunities: Hear about the unique experiences they faced as Asian American female founders\, including funding and industry representation.\nFinancing & Scaling: Discover how they navigated capital challenges and managed costs while scaling their businesses.\nAdvice & Future Plans: Get valuable advice for aspiring AAPI entrepreneurs and insights into what’s next for their businesses.\n\n  \n  \n\n\nAbout the Speakers:\n\n\n\nMegan Nakano is the Executive Director of the AACCIL\, a free resource supporting Asian American and minority-owned businesses. With 25+ years of experience in strategic partnerships across public\, private\, and non-profit sectors\, she provides pro bono management consulting\, specializing in minority certification and procurement. Previously\, she led the Asian American Alliance SBDC\, worked in community banking as a commercial lender and CRA Officer\, and supported supplier diversity programs at the Chicago Minority Supplier Development Council. \nA Chicago native\, Megan attended Francis W. Parker School and holds a BA in Political Science from Northwestern University. \n  \n\n\n\n  \nSusan Chen is the founder and CEO of Madame Susan Sauces\, founded in 2023 in Brooklyn\, New York. Her philosophy is to create a brand that has global cosmopolitan influences\, but is also local in values. She creates her line of Asian-style sauces by hand in New York. Madame Susan’s goal is to help people achieve restaurant-flavorful food at home. She looks to promote a culture of eating fresh\, healthy\, local\, and sustainable; a nod to the brand’s start at farmers markets. \n  \n\n\n\n  \nTeresa Ging is the CEO and Founder of Sugar Bliss\, a Chicago-based bakery specializing in baked goods\, catering\, and corporate gifts since 2007. Sugar Bliss also offers packaged \ncookies sold at retailers including Walgreens\, Compass Group\, and Macy’s. The company is committed to sustainability and donates a portion of proceeds to support women and minority entrepreneurs. \nTeresa holds a BA from the University of Chicago and transitioned from a six-year finance career to studying pastry at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. She has received multiple awards\, \nincluding the WBENC 2025 Star Award and the BMO Harris Celebrating Women Award. Teresa is a Board Member of the Asian American Chamber of Commerce of Illinois and the \nChicagoland Chamber of Commerce SBDC. \n  \n\n\nPlease note:\nIMPORTANT! You’ll need to be logged in to Eventbrite to access the webinar on the date of the program. For this\, you’ll need to create a (free) account with Eventbrite using the same email address that you used to register for the event. \nThis program will be held using Zoom. The link to access the Zoom webinar will be sent to you via a confirmation email after you register. \nIf you’re unfamiliar with the features of Zoom please take a moment to familiarize yourself with them here: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us or look up any online tutorial. \nZoom may process some personally identifying information about you\, for more information please review https://zoom.us/privacy. \nClick here to view NYPL’s Privacy Policy.
URL:https://potluckasianamerica.org/event/from-corporate-to-consumer-packaged-goods-cpg-ceos-asian-women-building/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Virtual,Webinar
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