Basketball star Steph Curry and his wife Ayesha help out East Bay restauranteur

MONSTER PHO

Tee Tran with his mother Tina Le

NBA star Steph Curry and his wife Ayesha, a restaurant owner and entrepreneur, gave $25,000 to an Oakland restauranteur to help his business survive the pandemic.

The unexpected windfall was given to Tee Tran, owner of Monster Pho in Oakland, while the celebrity couple were guests on The Tamron Hall Show.

Tran said he’s lost 75% of his business during the COVID-19 pandemic and put his home on forbearance. Despite these struggles, he’s been providing produce for seniors in need in his community and has given out more than 24,000 meals.

“I’m just juggling, trying to figure out every day,” Tran said. “I know it’s tough for me, but it’s tough for everybody. You just keep on pushing. I don’t want people feeling sorry for me. We just don’t do that. We just got to work hard and help people.”

The star guard for the Golden State Warriors said, "He hits the ground every morning with gratitude and finds a way to keep pushing. And I love that spirit. It’s something I want to embody as well."

TAMRON HALL SHOW

Steph Curry, left and his wife gave $25,000 to Monster Pho owner Tee Tran, right.

Instead of closing when the dining restrictions were put in place, Tran wanted to help others, especially the elderly. As a young boy, Tran learned the lessons of giving from his mother, who cooked and shared meals for her less fortunate neighbors.

Many of Monster Pho's regular customers were frontline workers from the  nearby Kaiser medical facility. He'd offer free coffee with the meals that her purchased. At times, he would personally deliver coffee to the health care workers.

When the Kaiser employees had a  shortage of masks and gloves, he created “Project Health Heroes” to raise funds to purchase the protective equipment. 

The restaurant owner also works with the celebrity couple’s charitable organization, Eat, Learn, Play, also provides meals through World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit that provides meals to those in need during natural disasters.

In an earlier interview with Berkeleyside, Tran got emotional when he talked about what his family's experience as new immigrants. “When we got to America,” he says, “we were living in the poorest areas and did not have much. But we were lucky enough that the community helped us for all these years.”

“Everyone talks about the American dream – come to America and do well and take care of your family, but that’s not it. You have really accomplished it, when you start to give back. What completes the American dream is being able to give back to your community.”

You can watch the clip from the show below.