Aven LaRosa
Advocacy Ambassador, Legacies of War staff emeritus
"Since my undergraduate studies in Southeast Asia, when I first visited Laos, I have been dedicated to raising awareness about the horrific legacy of America's Secret War and the urgent need for unexploded ordnance removal. I often find myself explaining these issues to fellow Americans, who struggle to grasp the extent of these ongoing atrocities and their broader implications, and tying this history into the modern era where we continue to see America perpetuate brutal campaigns worldwide."
My Story
Aven is a chef, storyteller, and long-distance hiker who first encountered the ongoing legacy of United States’ military terror while visiting Laos during a study aboard semester based in Isaan, Thailand. Deeply impacted by seeing firsthand the ongoing traumas inflicted by 'war', Aven started her career in Washington, DC working for Legacies of War before transitioning to the culinary world and apprenticing under world-renowned Chef Seng Luangrath of DC’s legendary Thip Khao, Baan Mae (formerly Hanumanh), and Padaek. Aven recently studied at the Emerson School of Storytelling whose goal is to “develop ways to ‘speak into action’ the changes we wish for when faced by 21st century challenges.” Aven’s true love is using food as a tool to bring people together and share the stories alive in the present moment : to laugh, to mourn, to celebrate, to hope, to dream!
More from Aven:
LEGACIES Podcast: A Legacy of Culinary Diplomacy with Lauren Bernstein
