Asian Humans of Texas - Chef Uno
Written by Natalie Haruka | March 13, 2026
Asians of Texans is a series celebrating the diverse experience of Asian Texans — each feature expands on what it means to be and belong in this state we call home.
In this first installment, we sit down with Uno Immanivong, a first-generation Asian American, Texas- raised banker, chef, entrepreneur, mother, and overall determined badass. Uno’s story begins in a U.N.O.-run refugee camp (the origin of her name). After 16 years in banking, she made a decisive pivot into food and creation, eventually appearing on The Taste and being selected by Anthony Bourdain to join his team. She went on to open Chino Chinatown, a Latin-Asian fusion restaurant; Chef Uno Catering, which provided over 100,000 meals to frontline workers during the pandemic; and Red Stix, an homage to her Lao and Thai heritage.
Through laughter, a video interview, and written dialogue, she takes us through her life so far — experiences, memories, opportunities, and lessons strung together through her love for food and developed through agency and perseverance.
Key Moments and Takeaways:
What Uno’s inherited and what she passes on
Uno says she’s received generational hard work. “There was eight of us in a one bedroom apartment. And from there, they all work to make the rent happen and grow there and teach their kids the value of hard work. I say that people sometimes get generational wealth. I got generational hard work.” But in addition to that lesson, she hopes to pass on smart work to the next generation. “But now, you know, in my generation and to my daughter… she sees me doing the hard work, but I want her to work smart…” Uno shows the evolution of values between one generation to the next — where inherited values are reiterated under pressure and experiences before being passed on.
What work is truly about
Unlike many in the catering space, Chef Uno’s Catering and Events serves custom menus — a practice typically seen as inefficient and a lot of hard work in the large-scale world of catering. She says, “it’s inefficient to do a one-off menu that's not a Red Stick's menu or our taco menu. But eventually, I feel like that leads you to something bigger. It leads you to be able to understand things that are outside of what you typically do…..it's just this is the human spirit of connecting with one another and especially through food or through teaching or through understanding the different cultures that are out there.” In this way, what can seem like extra work can be an opportunity for connection.
The mental pivot needed before the physical
Like many children of immigrant Asian parents, Uno’s given American dream consisted of an income that was both predictable and consistent. Upon being asked how she handled that expectation during her sharp career pivot, Uno reflects that she had to take time to unlearn that mindset while redefining success for herself. With a knowing nod, she says “it's part of being human — none of us are perfect. And as we start basing what success means, on what we see of other people. It's not our story. So the pivot for me is getting away from thinking about what people's expectations are. For Uno, the pivot wasn’t just the career change from finance to entrepreneur — it was the mental turn that allowed a new path to be opened.
What caring about people’s opinion means
In the public world of entrepreneurship and restaurantering where criticism is a given, Uno’s learned when and what to give attention to — integrity.
When asked whether or she cares about other’s opinions she says “Yes, I do care. What else I care about is what is the customer experience, being an advocate for the customer or being an advocate for my employees and part of that is having the right foundation and moral compass to do the right thing. So caring means that hopefully you are honest and you're ethical in what you do and then taking that and extrapolating it across what your mission is.”
What is leadership?
Uno explains simply what leadership is: “Being impeccable with your word. That's leadership. If you say you're going to do something, do it.”
Being true and consistent with your words is the way to trust, respect, and leadership.
Through anecdotes and food recommendations, Uno Immanivong shares her bold personality along with lessons on tenacity, courage and integrity. Being an immigrant, entrepreneur and creative means many things, for her, it means forging opportunities and being rooted in integrity.
To taste Uno’s culmination of memories and lessons, check out Red Stix Street Food and Chef Uno Catering and Events.
Follow The Asians of Texas:
Chef Uno:
Instagram: @chefuno
Red StixStreet Food:
Instagram: @redstixstreetfood
Website: www.redstixstreetfood.com
