[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 152 (Wednesday, September 21, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E959]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





         HONORING KEVIN AND SOURIYNO CHEN AS IOWANS OF THE WEEK

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. CYNTHIA AXNE

                                of iowa

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 21, 2022

  Mrs. AXNE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of 
Representatives to join me in recognizing brothers Souriyno Chen and 
Kevin Chen as Iowans of the Week. Young entrepreneurs Souriyno and 
Kevin co-own Lucky Lotus, a successful, Southeast Asian eatery in Des 
Moines. Since opening their doors in October 2019, the Chens have 
leveraged their restaurant to serve up more than just delicious local 
eats. While working through significant challenges as new restaurant 
owners throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, they've consistently stepped 
up during difficult times to further causes they care about.
  Souriyno and Kevin were no strangers to the restaurant business prior 
to opening Lucky Lotus. As the sons of refugees Seng and Dala Chen, who 
owned and operated Cafe Fuzion on Des Moines' east side for 15 years, 
they grew up in the industry. The two brothers saw an opportunity to 
share their family's passion for good food with greater Des Moines, a 
place they saw as full of possibilities. They wanted to be part of this 
growing community as it moved in a positive direction and contribute to 
its momentum.
  With so much heart in its premise, it's no surprise that Lucky Lotus 
has been an engine for charitable giving since its inception. As 
Souriyno and Kevin saw the growing success of their restaurant, it was 
important to them to leverage this new platform and build on the 
community. They began engaging in efforts like raising funds for 
certain causes and doing food drives, always looking for different 
opportunities to affect positive change where and when they could.
  Through Lucky Lotus, the Chen brothers donated a percentage of their 
proceeds to the Des Moines Chapter of the NAACP during the height of 
the Black Lives Matter movement to help eliminate race-based 
discrimination in our state. As hostility and hate crimes against Asian 
Americans were on the rise, they used the trending #StopAsianHate 
outcry to not only call for an end to racism and xenophobia in Iowa, 
but also donated a large share of their proceeds for a week to the Iowa 
Asian Alliance. They raised funds to create the Lucky Lotus Scholarship 
in partnership with the Iowa Asian Alliance, which was awarded to 
several local students for the first time last year. It was originally 
meant to be one award for one student, but the brothers raised enough 
funds to offer three scholarships instead. The Chens have found a way 
to make the Lucky Lotus Scholarship an annual award that will now go to 
three young Iowans of Asian descent and help them pay for higher 
education.
  The more Souriyno and Kevin learned about the growing conflict in 
Ukraine in recent weeks, they jumped into action. Lucky Lotus publicly 
announced earlier this week that they are donating proceeds of various 
dishes to World Central Kitchen, an organization working on the 
frontlines in Ukraine to provide hot meals to Ukrainian refugees and 
neighboring countries. Iowans interested in learning about how they can 
help the crisis in Ukraine can visit the U.S. Department of State's 
``United with Ukraine'' website for more information.
  Souriyno and Kevin understand how powerful food can be. It's a 
necessary thing for our survival and basic comfort, but regardless of 
our different backgrounds or experiences, food offers a way to stay 
better connected and to show our care for one another. The Chen 
brothers are telling a story through Southeast Asian food, sharing the 
love of what they grew up eating, and making a positive impact on 
issues that matter in the process. They'll tell you Lucky Lotus would 
not exist without all the love and support of the people across the Des 
Moines metro, and I am inspired by how they've leveraged that support 
to give back in Iowa and beyond. Souriyno and Kevin are working every 
day to make the community a better place, whether by donating to causes 
supporting folks from all walks of life or by bringing people together 
over a shared meal. I am proud to name them our Iowans of the Week.

                          ____________________