Food, Family & Friends Podcast 10: Koto founder, Jimmy Pham & graduate Huong

KOTO stands for “Know one, teach one.”

Learning should be passed on; knowledge is meant to be shared. This is the essential idea of KOTO founder, Jimmy Pham, a Vietnamese-Australian who, more than 10 years ago, opened a Training Centre in hospitality in Hanoi, giving disadvantaged youth the possibility to learn and thrive in their lives. Vanessa interviews Jimmy about his vision – his own background and how KOTO has become his life – and the students like his own children.

As a social enterprise, KOTO has trained over 600 students in two training centres in Hanoi and Saigon, with 200 concurrently enrolled. In addition to its Foundation arm that focuses on raising funds to support its cause through charitable activities and initiatives, KOTO also operates an Enterprise arm, serving as a platform for real life hospitality training as well as a source of income to support the welfare and training of the students. KOTO Enterprise currently includes two Training Restaurants, an online bakery, a cooking class, and a catering service.

Vanessa also interviews Huong Dang who is a graduate, now studying in Melbourne. Her story is one of strength and courage.

She shares this with us so that those of us more fortunate can have a glimpse into what it means to have an organization like KOTO be the savior in your life story.