Page 5 - Buzz Magazine - Issue No 2 Winter 2021 | University of Rochester
P. 5
“ I want everyone to have a full repertoire
of the amazing restaurants and places
to visit and support in Rochester. “
Photo by Rachel Liz Photography
Phillips took on the name of Sir Rocha Says
[pronounced Sir-Rah-Cha Says] for several
reasons. It’s a playful twist on the oft-heard local
phrase, “RoChaCha.” It also plays off of her love of
sriracha, the popular condiment. Her social media
pseudonym pays homage to her parents, too. In
the late 1970s, they left war-torn Vietnam and
immigrated to the U.S.
“After the Vietnam War, my parents and sister fled
to Malaysia with just the clothes on their backs,”
she says. “After eight months in a refugee camp,
they received the good news that two Rochester
families would help sponsor them. They arrived
in a new country and had to completely start over.
The name ‘Sir Rocha Says’ gives me an opportunity
to pay tribute to their courageous journey.”
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