Meet Omsom Co-Founder, Kim Pham

Omsom Co-Founders Vanessa & Kim Our very first Seasonal Foodie box features another taste-making Asian-owned brand, Omsom. We are so excited to offer their flavorful starters alongside our wines to show how outside-the-box pairings are possible!

We had a chance to ask co-founder Kim Pham a few questions about her foodie tendencies and what flavors she can’t get enough of.

What inspired you to start Omsom? What problem are you solving for people?

As first-generation Vietnamese-Americans and daughters of refugees, food is not just a love language for us, it’s a way for us to re-engage with our identities as WOC and “third culture.” My co-founder Vanessa and I have long wanted to start a business together – we’re sisters and best friends. Growing up, we never felt represented by the “ethnic” aisle in mainstream grocery stores (why do they even still exist?!) – so we were driven to build a company that reclaims the complexity, integrity, and nuances of Asian cuisines and communities. We started this to give Asian Americans a modern way to access a real deal taste of home and to show non-Asian Americans what it means for this category to be done right.

What do you love most about food and cooking?

What’s curious is that food is universal – and to some, almost mindless. But what we love at Omsom is that food is also a carrier of culture and narratives. It is so much more than what we consume to survive, but also a reflection of the world we live in + the communities from which dishes arise. It’s powerful and humbling.

Describe your dream dinner. Who’s there, what are you eating, what are you drinking?

This is so hard! Probably it would be 8 of my closest friends on a Brooklyn rooftop during a cool summer evening. We’re rolling Vietnamese spring rolls (I love this meal because it’s really versatile + can cater to all sorts of dietary restrictions and preferences!) and dipping them in my mom’s famous peanut sauce! We’re cracking into a couple bottles of natural wine (and maybe soju if we’re feeling rowdy later…).

What is your go-to Asian comfort food?

One of my favorite foods is pork belly. It’s my absolute favorite cut of meat (fun fact: I’m getting it tattooed onto me!). I grew up in a first-gen Vietnamese household, so pork belly was often the main star of our family dinners. It’s simultaneously nostalgic and decadent for me.