I stopped by Xanh Bistro for late lunch Saturday following an incredibly well received Orange County tweatup a week ago with some of Southern California’s top social media users and food bloggers.
But instead of eating a late lunch or early dinner, I happened on a video taping of chef / owner Haley Nguyen with exotic herbs and leafy Vietnamese vegetables. The video crew of a new food website Yammyu was recording Southern California’s premier expert on Vietnamese food.
Chef Haley proudly displayed the bamboo basket filled with just 12 varieties of more than 50 different herbs and vegetables she just picked — all organic and all from a urban garden behind one neighbor’s home in Orange County, Calif.’s Little Saigon.
Now that’s what I call yielding a huge return on investment with big flavors.
With my iPhone 4, I snapped photos and posted a YouTube video of the chef and her healthy greens.
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Thank you for sharing your unexpected, happy surprise with us, Ted! I live near Little Saigon, so now I’ll definitely have to go to Xanh Bistro to meet Haley and her organic veggies.
I just discovered your blog, and I love what you’re doing — the focus and categories of info. So professional and engaging. Congratulations on getting it launched, and have fun keeping us informed. I’ll be back for more!
Thanks for sharing the kind comments. When you come for a visit to Xanh Bistro, please tell the chef that social media and blogging is the way to go to engage with her customers and share the deep well of information with tremendous numbers online.
Please let me know if you have any story ideas for the future.
Warmest regards,
Ted
Ted we enjoyed watching your documentation on Chef Haley at Xanh Bistro… I Love that Chef Haley
Uses locally grown produce! Not only does this result in delicious cuisine but also creates a sense of community pride.
Ric & Pamela Dizon
Thanks for sharing a great little piece of our county! You’re a true champion of Orange County Ted and it shows in everything you do. Thanks so much for making us all feel great about where we live and the community that surrounds us. You’re an inspiration. Please keep sharing your enthusiasm with us all online.
Thanks for introducing us to Xanh Bistro. Chef Haley is delightful and her food is delicious.
As someone who was at the original twEATup, I can tell you that Orange County is proud to have such a great teacher and person in Chef Haley. Thanks for introducing us to and reporting on her for us Ted!
With the twEATup and Yammyu taping, and your reporting, seems like Chef Haley is well on her way to utilizing Social Media to engage more people. I have an organic garden in my backyard and I love that Chef Haley is promoting garden-to-table. You should have called me, I would have joined you for lunch! I’ll check out Yammyu to see if her sauce recipes are there!
It’s like “Behind The Scenes” beyond…
Love how we can hear you bite into that fresh garden yumminess. Nom Nom
Thanks for sharing Ted
Ted- allow me to echo Morgan’s sentiments: What a refreshing look into a part of Orange County that I would not otherwise know of! It is amazing that so many of us know “about” Little Saigon, but have such little interaction with the community there. Thanks for being an enthusiastic ambassador and teacher about the culture (and the food- YUM!)that exists right here in our midst. I look forward to future TwEATups so that I can sample the more delicious aspects of Chef Haley’s passion for organic vegetables.
Ted,
As usual, excellent work! We all love what you do. It was really fun learning about Chef Haley and all that health organic produce…yummy!
Keep up the good work!
Mirna
Ted:
GREAT blog.
Is the urban garden open to the public? I am dying to see what it looks like!
Twee
We should go over to the garden together with chef Haley. It should be an interesting sight to behold. Thanks for your support. I can’t wait for our next #OCtwEATup in Little Saigon!
Cheers,
Ted
I will be coming to that urban garden and raid it!!!
Ted: You’re a rock star. What can we say? Thank you for another great piece. Your O.C. Social Media community loves you