When I opened Bida Manda with my brother in 2012, I still had braces. We were young, hopeful siblings who longed to build our own home away from home and do so by honoring our family and culture. A love letter to our mom and dad and named for the ceremonial Sanskrit terms for Father and Mother, Bida Manda pays homage to the culture that raised us—which we still carry within us through all of our relationships—and the cooking that kept us grounded in our identities as Laotian immigrants.So we set out to open a Laotian restaurant in Raleigh, uncertain if anyone would be interested in giving us a chance.
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