Supporting Indonesian small business owners in New York City

By Ledy Simarmata, Co-founder of VINSY Group and Host of Asia Forward Podcast

On Saturday, April 18, 2026, I went to the “NY Indonesian Food Bazaar” or NYIFB in Queens, New York City. This is a monthly public event that is open for all, and managed to attract a few thousands visitors every event from the Indonesian community and other communities in New York City. NYIFB has been going on for the past 15 years and founded by Fefe Anggono, owner of “Taste of Surabaya”, a small food business operation. This time, I went there with a special visitor. She is Lishia Erza Budiman, Chair of Small & Medium-Sized Enterprise (SME) Entrepreneurship Capacity Building & Inclusive Economy Committee at the Indonesian Employers Association or APINDO, the oldest and the largest private sector association in Indonesia. Just a day before, I had taped an interview with Lishia as my guest for “Asia Forward” podcast discussing Indonesian SMEs and what they mean for U.S. investors.

Our encounter with Fefe turned out to be a fruitful one. NYIFB, that is powered by multiple small businesses owned by Indonesians living in NYC, naturally a subject of interest for Lishia. Three of us ended up discussing for a few hours, about the potential of NYIFB as an existing and known outlet to promote Indonesian culinary. What does it mean to me? As an Indonesian living in the U.S., of course I would love to see more narrative about Indonesia, including its awesome culinary. As a podcaster who produces “Asia Forward” podcast, this is something that I feel the joy of seeing. Help making connections between Southeast Asia, in this case Indonesia, with the U.S.. Overall, it is a joy to help promoting Indonesian-owned small businesses in the U.S. and spread more narrative about Indonesian SMEs. The potential and reasons why U.S. businesses should pay attention to Indonesian SMEs.