Carlos Salcedo/Arizona Republic

Jan Wichayanuparp shares her story at the Farm at South Mountain in Phoenix on Nov 16, 2017.

KJZZ partners with the Arizona Republic to bring you the Arizona Storytellers series. We record the live events and share them with you on the radio. In Phoenix, the storytellers sometimes share stories about our community or the life events that have shaped them in general. Megan Finnerty is the creator of the series. 

Jan Wichayanuparp grew up in California. Every summer Wichayanuparp's family would visit her grandma in Thailand. Her favorite part about being in Thailand was the food. Wichayanuparp says she misses it. At home, Wichayanuparp ate only Chinese-Thai food so her knowledge of other foods was limited.

One night in high school, Wichayanuparp and her friend Kim were working on a project late into the night and Wichayanuparp experienced a new kind of food.

Jan Wichayanuparp is the co-founder of Sweet Republic in Phoenix and Scottsdale.

The next storytelling event is March 14, 2018, at the Phoenix Art Museum in Phoenix.

→ Hear More Arizona Storytellers