Family Ingredients

In this two-part episode we follow popular Hawaii Chef, Andrew Le, to Ho Chi Minh City not just to taste original Pho the national dish of Vietnam, but also to connect to his family roots. It is a return to the city that his parents fled in 1975, barely escaping the fall of Saigon.

Kaua’i farmer Valerie Kaneshiro, a mixture of Japanese and Native American, was raised on the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe reservation in Wisconsin, her mom’s ancestral home. Forced to leave home at 15, disconnected from her Indian roots she so loved, Valerie tells a story of loss and rediscovery and the lessons learned while sharing an ingredient to a cultural dish found in Wisconsin and Hawaii.

Hawaiian hula dancer, cultural practitioner, and sustainable hunter Anela Marie Kawehikulaonalani Evans shares the love and respect she has for her island home. Join Family Ingredients as we follow Anela from the hunting grounds of Lana’i Island to the largest hula competition in the world, the Merrie Monarch Festival.

We continue our journey in Vietnam, with Chefs Ed Kenney and Andrew Le. In Hanoi we learn about the origins of pho, visit an ancient village, and find out about a near tragedy that brought the Le family closer together and jump started Andrew’s culinary career.

Bravo Top Chef ‘s Fan Favorite Sheldon Simeon finds it easy to shine the light on traditional Filipino dishes - but it takes a first ever trip to the Philippines to rock his culinary senses. Born and raised in the small town of Hilo, Hawaii, Sheldon credits his dad for his love of the Filipino cuisine. Join Family Ingredients in an episode that shares everything about family, food and fun.