Lon Bounsanga arrived in America in 1979, after fleeing from Laos and living in a refugee camp in Thailand. After ending up in Philadelphia with his two younger brothers and parents, he had to take the responsibility of helping the family when it came to money and raising his brothers. Once he graduated high school, he started working with his uncle, who was a chef at the Sheraton, just for some extra cash. But he eventually ended up falling in love with the art of cooking.  

He got married in the year of 2000 and went to have his four daughters and two sons. In the year 2006, he moved to North Carolina. In North Carolina, Lon came across a craigslist ad where they were looking for a Chef at a new Laotian restaurant, Bida Manda. He quickly took the opportunity.  After helping open both Bida Manda and Brewery Bhavana, Lon Bounsanga quickly grew a name for himself that led him to opening SAAP in Cary, North Carolina.