Tony Vu, the force behind Flint Social Club and the upcoming pop-up, The Kickback, discusses culinary innovation, healthy food access, and community empowerment in this Q&A.

Damon Ross: Share a bit about yourself and your background. How did you land in the culinary world?

Tony Vu: My journey starts with my parents. My family fled Vietnam at the end of the war and settled in Flint, Michigan, where I was born. Growing up in Millington as the only non-white family, my mom kept our Vietnamese culture alive through her cooking. This laid the foundation for a huge part of my identity. My most vivid childhood memories are based around food—waking up to certain smells, getting excited when my mom cooked pho at night. That’s what seeded this culinary sense in me.

DR: Did that cultural heritage shape the way you approach your entrepreneurship?

TV: I think my Asian heritage and cultural upbringing totally shaped my approach to entrepreneurship. I saw my parents' hard work and their service to our community, which laid a solid foundation for me to follow in their footsteps and always try to leave the world a little better than I found it.

DR: In what ways does your culture show up in your dishes?

TV: I see it through its accessibility. With chef-driven food, there's this sense of perfection. It can appear unattainable. What I try to do is serve food how my culture serves it: it's delicious and beautiful, but at the end of the day, it's a plate. It's a way to connect people to have a meal together and to have conversations while they're waiting for it. I just tried to break down as many barriers through food, and the service of food, as possible.

DR: Why do you believe that access to healthy food in the community is so important?

TV: Healthy, fresh food isn't a question—it's a human right. Locally grown, nutrient-dense, flavorful food is often more expensive than conventional produce, but there's so much of the soul of a place that comes from the food that's grown in its ground. The local food movement has been building, and healthy food should become more accessible.

DR: You often refer to the Flint Social Club as a “social enterprise.” What’s your definition of that?

TV: I would say that social enterprise measures its bottom line by its positive impact on the community. Positive impact, creating opportunities, and lowering barriers comes first. From that, we figure out sustainable models to keep that culture up.

DR: Why is supporting entrepreneurs so important to you?

TV: In my own journey, it was by no means easy for me to go through all the steps to start my business. I’m trying to build what I lacked in Flint—a supportive food community. A place where people can lean on each other, relate, and ask questions. Flint is a city where everybody has each other’s back and everybody truly wants each other to win. We’re all rooting for each other.

Listen to Tony Vu's Full Conversation

Hear Tony's full episode of the Philanthropy Speaks Podcast here.