Nite Yun was born in a refugee camp after her parents escaped war-torn Cambodia. Her family eventually moved to California, where she grew up listening to her father's Khmer rock n' roll music and learned to cook traditional Cambodian dishes from her mother. Inspired by trips to Cambodia to learn about her heritage, Nite dedicated herself to bringing the flavors of Cambodian food back to the Bay Area. She opened her first restaurant, Nyum Bai, in Oakland in 2018 and now runs Lunette, in San Francisco. Nite has been recognized as one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People, named a Food and Wine Best New Chef 2019, was a recipient of the Vilcek Foundation Prize for Creative Promise in Culinary Arts, 2019 and was featured on Netflix's Chef's Table in 2024. She lives in San Francisco with her French bulldog, queen Nola.

Tien Nguyen is a food and culture writer. She is the co-author of several cookbooks, including the New York Times bestseller L.A. Son with chef Roy Choi and the IACP-nominated Sohn-Mat. Her work also has been honored by the Association of Food Journalists. She teaches food journalism at the University of Southern California and lives in Los Angeles.