The 2023 James Beard Awards had a strong showing from Oregon this year — particularly from chefs and other creators of color in the Portland food scene. Winning the reality or competition visual media category was a video produced by All the Homies Network, a collective that documents the experience of six BIPOC food business owners in Portland. The network’s video of a restaurant takeover by Vietnamese food cart Matta at the Multnomah Whiskey Library beat out submissions from Top Chef and Bon Appetit to win the award.
Richard Văn Lê is the owner of Matta and a member of All the Homies Network. He joins us to talk about the win and what it could mean for the network’s future.