Video: Tofu Master Minh Tsai Talks Tofu and Sustainability at Yale

Minh Tsai, investment banker turned tofu master, is speaking at Yale this week about the intersection of tofu and sustainability. Watch the event live on Tuesday, November 10.

From Yale CBEY:

Meet Minh Tsai, the investment banker turned tofu master, and learn about his company Hodo Soy, an artisanal tofu supplier from Oakland. Minh has been a pioneer in getting chefs and large institutions to use tofu including Chipotle (heard of sofritas?) and Costco. This talk is sure to entertain and inspire and provide an enlightening discussion on how traditional recipes (along with Masters students) can be used to change our future impact on the earth.

As a child in Vietnam, Minh often took morning strolls with his grandpa to the neighborhood tofu shack. The freshness and artisan-quality of the soymilk, tofu and yuba of his childhood eluded Minh for many years. Finally, in 2004, he founded Hodo Soy with the simple mission of crafting the highest quality, best-tasting, freshest soymilk, tofu, and yuba (tofu skins) possible. Hodo is now distributed throughout the US. These days, Minh remains actively involved in the production and innovation of tofu, as well as being tofu’s ultimate ambassador by working with chefs, teaching tofu-craft, and educating culinary students to grow the next generation of tofu aficionados. Hodo has been operating in Oakland, Ca. for nearly 10 years and is one of the fastest growing food employers in the city.

Before becoming Hodo’s Tofu Master, Minh spent 10 years in strategic consulting and finance. He graduated from Columbia University with a BA and Masters in Economic Development.

The talk is part of a series featuring urban innovators hosted by the Yale Center of Business and the Environment, Bright Lights Green Sights.