Mango and Peppercorns: A Memoir of Food, an Unlikely Family, and the American Dream

Mango and Peppercorns is a memoir by Tung Nguyen about resilience, friendship, family, and food from the chefs behind the award-winning Hy Vong Vietnamese restaurant in Miami. The book combines narrative, archival imagery, and 20 Vietnamese recipes that connect to the authors' story. In 1975, after escaping the fall of Saigon, pregnant refugee and cook Tung Nguyen arrived at the Miami home of Kathy Manning, a graduate student and waitress who was housing displaced Vietnamese refugees. This chance meeting developed into a decades-long partnership that transformed strangers into family and a small, modest restaurant into one of the country's most acclaimed dining establishments. Tung's practical nature contrasted with Kathy's free-spirited approach, but they eventually found harmony in their differences—reflected in the restaurant's signature mango and peppercorns sauce. The memoir weaves together personal narrative with recipes, documenting an American immigrant story and the tradition of welcoming refugees and immigrants to the country.