
Nguyễn Thị Thanh, the beloved Vietnamese street food chef who was affectionately known as “The Lunch Lady” after being given the nickname by celebrity chef and travel documentarian Anthony Bourdain, has died in Toronto at the age of 58.
Thanh rose to international fame after her popular street food stall in Saigon was featured on Bourdain’s Emmy Award-winning series No Reservations in 2008 where her dishes and warm presence captured the hearts of food lovers around the world.