Yony Hung, who delighted New Yorkers with his Venezuelan-Chinese fried rice, opens restaurant in Madrid

Amid the immigration crackdown in the United States, there are success stories that break the pattern of so many personal tragedies. Yony Hung, a 22-year-old born in Venezuela to Chinese parents, is one such story. After living in the U.S. for seven years, Hung recently took the streets of New York by storm with an informal, intriguing business.

The idea started three years ago when thousands of his fellow Venezuelans came to the Big Apple, but it only materialized a few weeks ago when he began selling portions of Venezuelan-style fried rice (a tropicalized version of the famous chow fan rice, which includes beef, chicken, shrimp, diced ham, vegetables, and wheat germ) in Brooklyn. From his car trunk, he offered a menu that also included spring rolls, ribs, sweet and sour sauce, and typical sodas from the South American country like Polar malt and Frescolita. The rice alone cost $15, and according to Hung, they sold up to 200 portions a day.

The first customers were Venezuelan immigrants driven by nostalgia. They vouched for the quality and authenticity of the menu, which quickly went viral on social media. The Instagram account @elchinovenezolanovnzl took off, and word eventually spread to other Latin American immigrants and New Yorkers, always curious to try new culinary offerings in a city with over 20,000 restaurants from all over the world.

Some satisfied customers shared that the wait time in line to make a purchase exceeded two and a half hours. Far from deterring people, this fueled FOMO (fear of missing out) among the crowd, who repeatedly underscored the friendliness with which Hung served them.

Actress Sarah Jessica Parker shared the news of Hung’s success in the city with her millions of Instagram followers, boosting the number of diners. And music star J Balvin sampled the dishes after visiting a recording studio located directly across from where Hung sold his rice every morning.

From New York to Madrid

Hung’s immigration adventure began when he was just 15 years old. He packed his bags and, like so many others, left his native Venezuela in search of the American dream, but he did so carrying a culinary tradition with him. It was his uncle and aunt, owners of a Chinese restaurant on Margarita Island (Venezuela), who taught him everything he knows about cooking today.

After weeks of fruitful sales and thousands of dollars in revenue, the Venezuelan-Chinese entrepreneur arrived in Madrid, Spain on November 22nd to continue his culinary crusade, this time with the opening of his first real restaurant, which he financed with the profits from his U.S. venture. “Seven years ago, I started from scratch. I was a waiter, I studied, I worked hard… I left New York because I believe success is everywhere. This opportunity presented itself in Madrid, and I couldn’t pass it up,” he celebrated after cutting the ribbon at his establishment, located in the trendy Malasaña neighborhood (at 86, San Bernardo Street), where lines of customers have once again formed.

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