Beloved ‘Lunch Lady’ dies suddenly at Toronto Pearson Airport before grand opening of new restaurant

A beloved icon in the food world died suddenly after arriving at Toronto Pearson Airport in Mississauga.

Nguyễn Thị Thanh, the “Lunch Lady of Saigon” died at the age of 58 shortly after arriving at the airport.

“With broken hearts, we share that Cô Thanh, the original Lunch Lady of Saigon, has suddenly passed away upon arriving in Toronto on May 19th,” the Lunch Lady team posted on Instagram. Cô means aunt or a term of respect for an older woman.

“She was on her way to celebrate the grand opening of The Lunch Lady Toronto, to be part of this next chapter and share the story she began decades ago in a small alley in Vietnam. She experienced cardiac arrest and although medical personnel worked tirelessly for over an hour to resuscitate her they were unable to revive her. She passed peacefully, with loved ones by her side.”

Thanh rose to international fame when celebrity chef, author and travel documentarian Anthony Bourdain visited her Ho Chi Minh City food stall in 2008 and featured it on his travel and food show No Reservations the following year. At the time Bourdain visited, Thanh had a small cart under an umbrella with no name. She had run the food stall since 1995.

Bourdain suggested the name Lunch Lady.

Later, Vancouver restaurateur Michael Tran persuaded Thanh to open a location in Canada. In 2020, The Lunch Lady restaurant opened in Vancouver and a second location was about to open at 93 Ossington Ave. in Toronto.

Thanh was travelling to Toronto for the grand opening that was scheduled for June 3.

“We were ready to welcome her. To honour her. To celebrate this moment together. And now, we are mourning an immeasurable loss,” the Lunch Lady team said. “Cô Thanh wasn’t just the heart and soul of The Lunch Lady. She was a mother figure, a mentor, a quiet master of her craft. Her food told stories. Her presence made people feel seen. Her legacy lives in every bowl, every herb, every careful moment in the kitchen.”

The team is working closely with Thanh’s family to bring her home to Vietnam, where she will be laid to rest.

The team is taking time to grieve and the opening of The Lunch Lady Toronto will be postponed. A new date will be shared when the time feels right, the team said.

Vigils are to be held in both Toronto and Vancouver, the dates of which will be announced in the future.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by The Lunch Lady (@thelunchlady)

Lead photo: Instagram