From carrying on a legacy: Golden Turtle

Not only is Golden Turtle one of Toronto’s oldest Vietnamese restaurants, it’s a story that stretches across continents, generations, and the quiet work of keeping something meaningful alive.For Linda Nguyen, the restaurant was part of her childhood long before it became her responsibility. Her earliest memories are behind the counter: folding napkins, serving customers, and watching her parents run a place that taught her the meaning of hard work, teamwork, and care. Family, she learned early, wasn’t just the people you lived with. It was also the people you worked beside every day.Her parents came to Canada carrying their own histories of survival and resilience. Born in a Malaysian refugee camp during the Vietnam War, Linda grew up understanding that losing track of family could mean losing track of yourself. Food became the thread that held everything together.Years later, despite studying retail management and cognitive science and never imagining herself in the restaurant industry, Linda realized the restaurant meant more than her original career path. Five years ago, she and her brother Michael stepped in to carry the legacy forward - preserving the same pho recipe that passed from her grandmother to her mother, and now to her.In this episode, Linda reflects on leadership, family, and what it means to carry a legacy responsibly - nurturing her team, welcoming new neighbours on Ossington, and showing her daughter that leadership rooted in care is something to be proud of.Follow the podcast on Instagram and TikTokFollow Sam Jen on Instagram