{"id":101316,"date":"2022-11-04T09:25:55","date_gmt":"2022-11-04T13:25:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mileniostadium.com\/?p=101316"},"modified":"2022-11-04T09:25:55","modified_gmt":"2022-11-04T13:25:55","slug":"serving-up-success-for-new-canadians","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mileniostadium.com\/temas-de-capa\/serving-up-success-for-new-canadians\/","title":{"rendered":"Serving up Success for New Canadians"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"My<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The green curry is a delicious dance of slightly spicy and a little sweet. The pad thai is sticky, savoury, and salty to perfection. These dishes are part of the authentic food experience at My Thai, a restaurant franchise in Ontario.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Vanh Kalong\u2019s restaurants often have customers in a line out the door, but it\u2019s the people working on the inside; the dish washer, the host, the server, who seem happiest to be there. Because what they have on their menu is not just a job, but an opportunity to be supported by Vanh herself.<\/p>\n

\u201cVanh is my Canadian mother here for me\u201d gushes Piya Dol, as she fills a water glass.<\/p>\n

A newcomer to Canada, Dol is serving at My Thai while in school. She says the job is helping her understand this new country while keeping her connected to Thailand.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll find a story like Dol\u2019s in every My Thai location; Ancaster, Brantford, Cambridge, and coming soon, Paris, Ontario, where Vanh fills her restaurant positions with people who are new to the country.<\/p>\n

Contributing to other\u2019s lives is part of Vanh\u2019s mission, and working with newcomers is a natural fit, since Vanh was once in their shoes, literally. She remembers not having proper winter boots when she arrived in 1985. \u201cWhen I first came here from Thailand I only had my little sneakers and I got frostbite\u201d she chuckles and sighs.<\/p>\n

Originally from Laos, Vanh escaped the communist regime in 1980 when she was in her early teens and entered into Thailand where she lived in a series of refugee camps for five years. Speaking about it now, her voice quivers with emotion, \u201cEven at that age\u2026you want more for yourself\u201d.<\/p>\n

Not one to give up, she worked within the confines of her situation, showing early signs of entrepreneurial spirit. Like when she snuck out on a particularly boring day in the congested camp. \u201cI was so small. I slipped under the fence. Then, I saw a woman selling bananas at the market and I convinced her that if she gave me the bananas, I could sell them. I went back to the refugee camp and sold all the bananas. In 30 minutes I had doubled her money.\u201d She says, \u201cI learned that sometimes creative thinking makes money.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vanh often reflects on her immigration journey and the path that led her to owning a restaurant franchise. She explains it\u2019s the people in the community who have made the greatest impact on her life. \u201cIf you want to do it fast, do it yourself, if you want to go further, do it with somebody else.\u201d<\/p>\n

After all, a job is only one piece to finding success here as a new Canadian. Vanh says are many hurdles to overcome that she helps her staff with when they first arrive, like having proper coats and boots to deal with a Canadian winter. And then there\u2019re the administrative tasks that can be tricky to navigate, especially with a language barrier, \u201cThey don\u2019t know how to fill out a form, they don\u2019t know how to get an ID card.\u201d But once the basics are covered, Vanh encourages her staff to dream big, \u201cI ask them, what do you want to be? Visualizing is very important.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vanh credits her entry level job at Harvies for teaching her the skills to start My Thai. Server Piya Dol is already making a positive connection between the job she has right now and the future she sees for herself. \u201cI work here at the restaurant, but Vanh wants me to get into my field of work, into healthcare, it\u2019s really nice.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody at My Thai starts at an entry level\u201d says Vanh, \u201cbut I don\u2019t want them to stop there. I encourage them to go to school and pursue their goals and dreams. I tell them, if you need to come in at 4pm because of school, do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Accomplishing her vision of My Thai was tough in the early days. With little to no money, Vanh often slept on the kitchen floor. She would cook and give out her food for free to local businesses in the area in order to introduce herself to the community, because she believes strongly, that \u201cyou must give before you receive.\u201d
\nLiving by that motto is something she tries to instill in her staff. \u201cIt\u2019s not just me (helping). I help them help each other, we figure it out together.\u201d<\/p>\n

This week, the federal government says it plans to bring in roughly half a million immigrants each year, for the next three years. The goal? To help curb the labour shortage affecting multiple industries across the country, including the service sector.<\/p>\n

International students like Dol must work for one year in a position before they can apply for permanent residency in Canada. \u201cWhen they come here, they have to work, pay taxes, contribute,\u201d says Vanh. Watching her staff achieve that goal one at a time is very satisfying. \u201cIt\u2019s a win-win\u201d she says, \u201cI want to live a purposeful and impactful life.\u201d<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s a job well done.<\/p>\n

To find out more about My Thai: www.mythai.ca<\/a><\/p>\n

Gina Philips\/MS<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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