Lian How, which translates to "Union" in Chinese, is a family-owned sauce and spice company founded by my grandfather, a refugee from Fuzhou, China who traveled to Taiwan and then to the United States to build a better life for his family. He is a pioneer in the sauce and spice industry, developing a traditional method of making sesame oil still used by our family business today.

Our sesame oil is made with the finest African sesame seeds, hand-shaken in traditional baskets to extract the purest oil. This slow, traditional process results in a sesame oil that is exceptionally rich in flavor and aroma.

My parents continued my grandfather's legacy, bottling and selling his sesame oil to Asian restaurants and grocers across the United States, and later launching Uncle Chen, their fresh hot sauce brand bringing bold, fermented flavors to a new generation. I am proud to be the third generation carrying on this tradition.

Now I am taking it one step further with DOU by Uncle Chen. DOU, meaning "bean," is rooted in the fermented, aged, funky flavors that form the backbone of Chinese cooking — the sauces that have lived in Chinese grandmothers' kitchens for centuries, made accessible to everyone with traditional recipes and quality ingredients.

These are more than cooking ingredients. They are a symbol of my family's history and resilience, and a Union of flavors we are proud to share with the world.