Like many businesses, the idea for Laos to Your House grew out of a casual conversation. Stacy Seuamsothabandith was talking with her husband, Byron Gully. “We were discussing the culinary landscape [of Chicago],” Stacy said. “It was disheartening that Laotian cuisine was not represented in the third largest city in the United States.”
Stacy’s family moved to Illinois after escaping political turmoil in Laos. Her mother was a passionate home cook who connected with her new American neighbors by sharing Lao food and culture.
When Stacy moved to Chicago, where she met Byron, she couldn’t find a single restaurant dedicated to Laotian food. Stacy and Byron didn’t want Laos to be “the forgotten Asian country.”
Stacy and Byron opened their food manufacturing business in 2022 and enlisted the help of Stacy’s brother as the executive Chef. Laos to Your House currently operates out of private production space which is under a grant of inspection by the IL Department of Agriculture at The Hatchery – a nonprofit food and beverage incubator co-owned by A4CB. Their Laotian cuisine is available through local and national home delivery as well as in Mariano’s across Chicagoland.
While working out of The Hatchery, they learned about the many resources available onsite, including A4CB’s Neighborhood Entrepreneurship Lab (NEL). NEL is a 3-month cohort program that pairs business owners with experts who provide support for a business growth initiative. Each entrepreneur receives a $20,000 grant to execute their growth plan.
“Through NEL, we learned that we had everything we needed to launch our growth initiative and make a real go of it!” Byron said. “Through the guidance and advice from our assigned mentors, we were able to implement a freshly frozen model to [reach] customers around the nation.”
In 2024, Laos to Your House received a $10,000 grant from the City of Chicago’s Good Food Fund which was administered by A4CB.
In addition to expanding into wholesale with their ready-made meals, they are also the exclusive Illinois distributor of a Lao Beer called BeerLao. In early 2026, Sam’s Club approached the couple with an interest in BeerLao. The beer is now sold in the retailer’s Rockford and Elgin Illinois locations.
While Stacy and Byron hope to supply the beer in more Sam’s Clubs, they are also in the process of securing their USDA grant of inspection. This certification would permit Laos to Your House to sell across state lines allowing Stacy to share her cuisine, and her culture, across the country.
“This journey isn’t just ours alone,” Stacy said. “Every person who takes a bite of our ready-to-eat meals is helping to keep a culture, a cuisine, and a country from being forgotten. By choosing the Lao cuisine, they become part of this journey with us—and for that, we are deeply grateful!”
