Julia Li

After 32 years as a restaurant kid—and 11 years partnering with grocers—we finally stepped out of stealth mode and showed up at the biggest food convention, @natprodexpo for the first time. 🌿

Here’s the truth about why it took so long.  ❤️

Restaurants are notoriously hard, but being a restaurant kid is even harder. Restaurants sit at the center of a community—the true “build it and they will come” model. To survive in this industry means you’ve built a home and won the hearts of the community you serve.

And my family did just that.

But succeeding as immigrants also means facing the good, the bad, and the ugly. Too much recognition opened my family and I up to a whirlwind. About a decade ago—the same year we won multiple awards and were recognized by publications and business journals—I was sent hate letters, the nonprofit I had founded was ransacked, and our restaurant was robbed. (More on this later).

I left St. Louis, a city I truly love, and made myself as invisible as possible. I thought this was the best way to shield my family, and at the time - it was. But making myself small and did not serve our community.

Showing up—in spite of it all—and having the courage to support and uplift our community is the ONLY way forward.

Fast forward to 2026. It’s our first #ExpoWest . We entered traditional #CPG and launched our all-natural frozen line. The result floored us - we started conversations with not just one - but nearly EVERY major national retailer. 

In our culture, food is love — and I can’t fully express how grateful and fulfilled I feel. I’m finally ready to share our story, bring our meals your table, and step into our future.

Follow our journey with @luluasiankitchen. Tomorrow we’ll start announcing the incredible grocers you’ll be able to find our all natural dumplings and entrees in.

Beyond thankful to my family, friends, and our kickass team, who’ve been crushing 💪it in every way possible. Cannot imagine doing this without you. #RestaurantKid forever.

Are you a restaurant kid, a child of immigrants, or have a CPG business? Let’s uplift each other! ✨I would love to hear and share your stories!

#asianamerican
#foodentrepreneur