Orlando, FL-In the City of Orlando along North Mills Avenue and East Colonial Dr, diversity is doled out deliciously, attracting big crowds looking for Asian cuisine. Orlando’s renowned resident Ricky Ly talks about the first time he went to the Mills 50 district as a child. His family dropped by after going to Disney World. When he grew up, he knew he had to return. “When I was in 8th grade we dropped by here and my dad was like, we gotta go try this Banh mi shop, buy five get one free. People love a good deal.” Ricky is a community activist and civil engineer, but people know him as the creator of a food blog called Tasty Chomps: A Local’s Culinary Guide. He says Mills 50 has grown into a foodie scene, “It’s just a very special place. Not just for Orlando, but for all the United States.”
Ricky explains how he has become a social media dining king, “Through Instagram and Facebook, and TikTok over 100,000 followers. That’s crazy.” He believes his blog has added to the success of restaurants in the Mills 50 district.
This food critic even helped share the historic riches of Mills 50 nationwide, by making an appearance on Netflix’s “Somebody Feed Phil.” In 2012, he also authored a book on Central Florida’s food scene called The Food Lover’s Guide to Orlando.
Ricky dishes out about the history of the Mills 50 district and the people who live here. “It’s really the story of America. You’ve got immigrants and people from all backgrounds. Not just Vietnamese, you’ve got Japanese udon, Filipino ice cream shops, you’ve got Korean American coffee shops. Everybody coming together and sharing their culture but also transforming and taking it to the next step.”
Ricky created Tasty Chomps, while attending the University of Central Florida. He graduated in 2008. He started the blog, to bring people of different cultures together through a shared common interest of flavorful food. “Back 15-20 years ago there weren’t a lot of Mom-and-Pop places there were mostly chains, I was able to shed light on these small Mom-and-Pop places including here at Mills 50.” Places like the old Tien Hung Market. Cecelia Nguyen’s parents used to run it, but now she and her husband, Johnny Tung of the Bento Group, have turned it into Mills Market filled with delicious delights! Johnny shows us some of the specialties, “We have moon cakes, we have freshly made summer rolls.” It’s an upbeat eatery that’s about to get even larger. Mills Market is a multi-phased project that’s become a hub for Asian eats and specialty shops. Cecilia talks about the magical transformation. “Just in the past 5 years it’s been such a change for me to see, because when I first started it was just out of helping my family out and people would ask me, where’s your store. And I’d say, Mills and Colonial kind of shy about it, but now I’m like, you know, Mills and Colonial. It’s such a difference and I’m so proud of it and what’s it’s become.”
She and Ricky became friends at UCF and has seen businesses in the district grow, as Ricky’s own blog got more popular. “I just thought it was like a hobby, was like oh wow he just loves eating.” But then she realized Tasty Chomps was gaining lots of popularity. “And then you start to see the driving force and then we were like, hey Ricky want to come by and try this? And just growing so much more than what we expected. And then a lot of people wanted to be similar to him too, but he is the original.”
Ricky was born in Florida, after his parents came to the U.S. “My parents were Vietnamese refugees. They came over in 1981.” According to historians from the Orange County Regional History Center many Vietnamese refugees moved to Central Florida after the war. What was once known as Little Saigon is now the Mills 50 District. “My Mom was actually a boat refugee, where she was on a little fishing boat for two weeks out at sea before being rescued and taken to a refugee camp.” Ricky says the refugee camp was in Indonesia. His Mom lived there for a year, before coming to America. She was housed in Indiana through a sponsor and later moved to Florida. “She moved down to South Florida and that’s where she met my dad in West Palm Beach.” Ricky says his dad is both Chinese and Vietnamese. His father was born in Vietnam, but his parents were from China, and they were immigrants in Vietnam.” This food blogger who’s half Vietnamese and half Chinese, gradually turned into a community activist, watching over the Asian American community.
Ricky was later named by Orlando Magazine as one of the 50 most powerful people in Orlando. “It’s so important that our voices are heard. The issues that we face as a community, whether its education, immigration or anything else like that. I think it’s so important.”
To encourage Asian Americans to vote, in 2024 Ricky created Asian American Pacific Islanders Coming Together or ACT, with advocates Onchantho Am and Kam Shenai.
“Our Asian Americans are the least likely to vote of any group unfortunately in America and so we’re trying to change that.
It’s so important because your vote is your voice. If you’re not voting that means someone else is taking that vote from you.” The move caught the attention of the White House.
“It was such honor a year ago to be invited to the White House, not just once but twice.” Once for a summit with different community leaders around the nation and another time to celebrate Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month. “By understanding and learning about our history and where we came from, we know who we are and where we can go in the future and so it’s just important to have that foundation.”
Ricky has a loving wife named May who he met at UCF. The couple has two adorable children. Ricky says, “Family is such a huge part especially as you get older. I have two little ones. Jeremy who’s 5 years old and Victoria who is 7. And every day is just a blessing and such a joy to watch them grow.” He shares the history of his parents struggles, with his own children and hopes others do the same with their family history. “Understanding why your grandma came over and what’s the story like and just the different struggles to have that appreciation.” It’s an appreciation for the past, that makes the present a better place for all of us. “I’m just so happy to share stories about all the great restaurants we have, but also to be part of the community as we continue to grow and make sure our voices are heard. Leave the world a better place than I found it.”
