About the Author

“I grew up with an empty bowl in my hands. Now, I build empires that feed.”

I was born in Huế, Việt Nam, to parents who risked everything to start over. My earliest memory of hunger is my mother pressing an empty bowl into my hands and telling me to ask for food. I couldn’t knock.

That bowl followed me across oceans — into Boston kitchens where I learned the discipline of flavor, into the restaurants I built from scratch, into love stories that broke me open, and onto a football field in Đà Nẵng, where I promised the next generation of girls:

“You won’t have to wait for permission to play.”

WHO I AM

Jenny Lê is a founder, author, chef, restaurateur, business consultant, and proud daughter of Việt Nam. She was raised without stadium lights, team jerseys, or the cheers young athletes dream of — instead, she was handed an empty bowl and a set of unspoken expectations.

From those quiet beginnings, she built Đà Nẵng Rising W.F.C., Vietnam’s first women-led football club, as proof that she would never wait for permission to dream. Every chapter of her life — from culinary ventures to business strategy to writing — has been driven by a deep love for her roots and a determination to create the opportunities she never had.

Her memoir, From an Empty Bowl to Empire, answers her mother’s question: “Con có yêu mẹ không?” (“Do you love me?”). The football club she founded is her answer to her father’s: “Con có yêu ba không?” (“Do you love me?”).

The answer is yes — and through her work, Jenny honors the lessons, resilience, and love her parents gave her, while building a legacy for the next generation.

CREDENTIALS & RECOGNITION

Jenny has co-founded critically praised restaurants and markets, including Pho Bowl and Pho Laveen in Arizona, and the acclaimed Tornado Lounge in Boston. She led her family’s restaurant to double its growth, served as Controller for the renowned Formaggio Kitchen, and launched Gastromé — a fine-dining restaurant, gourmet cheese and wine market, and culinary classroom. Her work has been featured in:

The Boston Globe
Thrillist
ABC15 Arizona
AZ Central
Arizona Foothills Magazine
Phoenix Business Journal
Fabulous Arizona
Frontdoors Media

FROM AN EMPTY BOWL TO EMPIRE
My Memoir

This is not just a memoir — it’s a love letter to resilience, family, and the recipes that rebuild us. Blending personal history, family recipes, and hard-won lessons, From an Empty Bowl to Empire is both a personal reckoning and a guide for anyone ready to reclaim their story.

MY LEGACY WORK

⚽ Đà Nẵng Rising W.F.C.
Founder & Visionary

Vietnam’s first women-led football club — blending elite play, mentorship, food, and media to create a field where girls are visible, valued, and unstoppable.

Born from the same grit and love that shaped From an Empty Bowl to Empire, Đà Nẵng Rising is more than a team. It’s a movement: to give the next generation what we never had — opportunity, belonging, and the courage to play without asking permission.

The story doesn’t end on the page. A portion of proceeds from From an Empty Bowl to Empire helps fund Đà Nẵng Rising, ensuring that every girl in Việt Nam knows her voice, her body, and her dreams deserve the field.