American Dream Award Winner
Amporn Vasquez
Pizza by Elizabeths
Greenville, Del.
Imagine a 14-year-old child hiding inside a zoo in Thailand in order to escape abuse and an arranged marriage she refused to be a part of. That is only part of chef Amporn Vasquez’s life story.
The Thai-born chef, who escaped abuse and moved to the United States, is now a mentor to staff members at Pizza by Elizabeths in Greenville, Delaware. When life gets tough, she tells them if she can succeed, they can, too. She says she’s learned that when she puts her mind to it, there is nothing she can’t do, and that the United States has been the easiest place for her to achieve her goals.
Vasquez hid in that Thai zoo for several weeks until she met a family who took her into their home to live with them and help with cooking and cleaning. Through an American family living in Thailand, she met her future husband and immigrated to the United States after they married. She divorced but remarried, worked as a bartender and did domestic work for numerous people, including a restaurateur named Betsy LeRoy.
When LeRoy decided to open a restaurant, Vasquez enrolled in a culinary arts program. LeRoy hired her as kitchen manager at Pizza by Elizabeths. Today she is its executive chef. Vasquez’s indomitable spirit inspires many. Perhaps it is her determination; she never gives up.
