We had the good fortune of connecting with Lasamee Kettavong and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lasamee, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
The first time I really thought that Good & Golden could become a viable business was when my partner and I cooked for a dinner party that a friend and colleague hosted for her family every month. We made a beautiful spread of Lao dishes (laab, tum makhoong, and khao poon nam gai) and thought, what if we turned this into our side hustle? We had so much fun teaching guests about the ingredients and talking about Lao food.

It wasn’t until a couple of years later that we actually went all in and officially launched our business, all the while, working full time outside of that. My family is from Laos and Lao food is what nourished and sustained me as I grew, so it has a very special place in my heart. It’s my soul food. I wanted to be able to share that with people here in the United States and to welcome people to the table that’s laden with the food that makes me feel like I’m “home.” I haven’t yet had the chance to go to Laos but I imagine that visiting and eating Lao food in the motherland will be an incredible, life-changing experience.

What really pushed us to take the leap was getting everything in order to apply for a grant – that’s what had us filing as an LLC, applying for our EIN, and figuring out the skeleton of what our business model would be. We did not receive the grant but we did end up launching a Kickstarter campaign and getting it backed by almost 200%. That really helped us cover startup costs because it was difficult initially for us to see how we would handle those costs on our own. Because we both had so much to do in terms of our careers, we knew that we had to carve out dedicated time to the business in what was once our leisure time, but it was worth it to us.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Today, Good & Golden has accomplished the set of three major goals I’d set out to do when we first launched our business in the fall/winter of 2021. We’ve hosted a sold-out interactive dinner party, delivered meals during weekend meal service, and served at markets as a pop-up food business which built up our credibility and was a great introduction to the community. It’s only been a few months since our first official event, which was on April 9th, and we’ve learned a ton from each undertaking. It’s been a labor of love, truly. For each of the offerings I listed, at minimum, we’re spending six hours on our feet in a commercial kitchen preparing Lao food. To prepare for our time in the kitchen, we’re driving all over the DFW metroplex to shop for hard-t0-find ingredients like makrut lime leaves or padaek, fermented fish sauce, that makes Lao food so unique and distinct.

My business partner and husband, Blake, has been an incredibly good sport during these long evenings and weekends. We work really well together and take turns being the one stressed out. It’s all about balance. I know that whatever challenges are thrown our way when we’re hosting a Good & Golden event or running meal service, like tripping the breakers or a particular ingredient being out of stock, we will handle with grace and good humor. There’s no way out but through. We’ve learned not to schedule too much for ourselves, in terms of the business and in terms of our personal lives, so that we can continue to enjoy moving our business forward and not burning out. For example, we focused all of our efforts and energy into making July’s Ma Kin Khao interactive dinner party the best experience it could be and did not schedule anything else for Good & Golden that month.

I really want folks to know how near to my heart this business is. Good & Golden is a step forward in making Lao food and culture known which is a passion of mine. When I was going through school, almost no one knew where Laos was and hadn’t ever tried Lao food. I didn’t learn about Lao history, like The Secret War and definitely not about the history of the country itself, in grades K-12 or even college. Good & Golden’s story and my story bring the story of Lao folks to light, and the story can be a little dark at points. I am a daughter of refugees, Lao American, and proud. There is a lot of healing and growth ahead for myself and for people like me. I hope that Good & Golden can be part of that.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Okay, bestie. Get ready. On a Saturday morning, visiting the Denton Community Market and picking up goodies to snack on from foodie friends sets you up for the best day ahead. Then it’s time to hit the square and visit Recycled Books, maybe re-up on caffeine from Jupiter House, and get a bite to eat from a food truck at Austin St. Truck Stop. I do frequent Pickled Carrot and Mexorean (so good). Have a day drink and grab a beer or cocktail from Eastside or Miss Angeline’s.

If the weather’s nice, a little hike at Clear Creek or Knob Hills to work off the food and drink is always fun! Unless there are caterpillars hanging from the trees, which does happen in the spring. If that’s the case, spending time on the courthouse lawn people watching is a good “get outside” alternative. You can pick up a six-pack from The Bearded Monk or the famed Midway Mart and more food from 940’s Kitchen & Cocktails or Dix’s Coney Island on the corner of the square.

There are also great little shops in Denton that are neat places to pick up a souvenir, support local, and commemorate your time here. UNT CoLab has a lot of products made by UNT alumni or visit DIME Handmade, a store that carries locally made goods and gifts. Can’t sleep on Norman Roscoe, they’re pretty dang cool too. Honestly, walk into any small business on the Denton square and you’ll be welcomed and delighted. Spend lots of time there.

If you’re in Denton for a week, you can most certainly catch some live music at Harvest House (where our wedding reception was, love them), Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studio, Dan’s Silverleaf, Red’s Yard, and a handful of additional places – there are so many places that you can enjoy music and grab a drink or dinner.

And if you need to get some work done while you’re in town, visit Stoke! It’s where I work full time as marketing and program manager and is the best lil coworking space and community hub this side of the tollway.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d love to dedicate this shoutout to my family, my community here in Denton, and the Lao community across the states and world that has welcomed me. I was born and raised in Dallas, and that’s where my heart is (near my mom), but moving up here to Denton for school and ultimately staying here is how we are able to operate our small business – we have such a supportive community who has championed us from the start.

My family is all that I had growing up, so you could say that in Denton, I found my chosen family and a welcoming community that helps us all grow together. Here’s to you, Denton! Denton’s small business owners encourage and uplift one another so much, so I especially want to shout out a thank you to True Leaf Studio and Mashup Market, where Good & Golden hosted our first pop-ups this past spring. I wouldn’t have the guts or the knowledge to run my business without my time at Stoke and mentorship from O’Brien Bros Baking really gave us confidence as a food business. Thistle Creative Reuse has also really helped us with decor and even supplies for meal service and for our recent interactive dinner.

Last but definitely not least, I’ve been working with the Lao Food Foundation, an organization working to educate and inspire folks about Lao food, and will start working with the Laotian American National Alliance very soon. I couldn’t leave them out of this shoutout because the leaders and members of these organizations understand where I’m coming from and being in community with them makes the work that I do at Good & Golden even more meaningful.

Website: https://www.goodandgolden.co/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodandgoldenllc/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lacikettavong/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/good.and.golden.llc

Image Credits
Feature Image: Carrie Peirce, Studio Guile Additional photos: Darby Dyer, Taylor Bales

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