Vietnamese 'Lunch Lady' has Died

Thanh was thankful to Bourdain, her "guardian angel"

This afternoon we heard the tragic news about Nguyen Thi Thanh, the Vietnamese female chef made famous by Anthony Bourdain had died in Toronto. She was 58 years old.

Nicknamed 'Lunch Lady' by Bourdain, Thanh had just landed in Toronto to help with the opening of the Lunch Lady restaurant there when she went into cardiac arrest. Medical personnel tried to revive her, but she passed with loved ones with her, according to an Instagram post from @thelunchlady on Instagram.

The restaurant's dishes featured bold flavours

"We were ready to welcome her. To honour her. To celebrate this moment together. And now, we are mourning an immeasurable loss.

"Cô Thanh wasn't just the heart and soul of The Lunch Lady. She was a mother figure, a mentor, a quiet master of her craft. Her food told stories. Her presence made people feel seen. Her legacy lives in every bowl, every herb, every careful moment in the kitchen," says the social media post. "Cô" means aunt or older female.

The Lunch Lady opened on Commercial Drive in Vancouver in 2020, but because of the Covid-19 pandemic, Thanh was unable to come until two years later. I had the chance to interview her.

Despite not knowing any English, she was so warm and friendly. With the help of the restaurant manager acting as translator, Thanh was happy to talk about how excited she was to be in Vancouver -- her first overseas trip -- and to see the restaurant. At the time she said the decor made her feel like she was back in Vietnam.

She made her first visit to Vancouver in 2022

Thanh was made famous by celebrity chef Bourdain in 2009 when she and her food were featured in an episode of No Reservations. He met her the year before at her stall in Ho Chi Minh and she said that after the episode aired, people began flocking to her stall and says Bourdain was her "guardian angel."

Since 1995, she was known for making a different broth for every day of the week with noodles and various toppings, like prawns, pork belly, sausage and crab meat. When I asked her what was in the broths, she said they were family recipes that were secret and flashed a smile.

I didn't eat at the restaurant that day I met her as it was closed that day, but subsequently went there for lunch. Similar to her stall there is a different dish special each day, while in general the menu features elevated Vietnamese items, such as wagyu beef in pho, beef carpaccio, duck salad with cabbage and banana blossoms, and desserts like calamansi cheesecake and ube tiramisu.

Lunch Lady executive chef Benedict Lim said at the time it was inspiring having Thanh in the kitchen.

"She has a grandma style of cooking which makes the dishes so much better," he said in 2022. "It's very motivating and there's a good aura when she's around."

Prawn fritters with shredded taro root

News of her death has prompted fans to post pictures they had taken with Thanh, and mourning her passing.

The opening of the Toronto branch of Lunch Lady has been postponed until further notice, while tomorrow the Vancouver location will be closed to give staff time to grieve.

Thanh's passing is a massive loss, but Lunch Lady will be a fitting tribute to her spirit and passion for food.