Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.’s presence in northern Phoenix has helped create an emerging Taiwanese lifestyle hub, supported by community businesses such as the popular Taiwanese restaurant Taiwan Mama.
台積電進駐鳳凰城北部，當地逐漸形成具台灣特色的生活圈，而人氣台式餐廳「台灣媽媽」（TAIWAN MAMA）這樣社區型商家便是促成其成形的諸多店家之一。
Located in an open-air plaza near the desert highway leading to TSMC’s Arizona fabs, Taiwan Mama stands out with posters of braised pork rice and bubble tea, offering a familiar taste to engineers and their families living thousands of kilometers from Taiwan.
TAIWAN MAMA位於通往台積電亞利桑那廠區荒漠公路旁的一處露天商場，店門口張貼的炕肉飯與珍奶海報格外吸睛，為遠離家鄉的工程師與家屬端上熟悉的台灣味。
Owner Kate, in her 30s and formerly a computer engineer in Taiwan, moved to Phoenix four years ago with her husband, who works for TSMC. Adjusting to life in the United States, she said, was challenging not only because of language and lifestyle differences, but also due to the lack of Taiwanese flavors she and others craved.
三十多歲的店主凱特過去是台灣的電腦工程師，四年前隨任職台積電的丈夫來到鳳凰城。她說，剛到美國除了語言與生活步調的落差，更難適應的是找不到熟悉的台灣食物。
Finding few options for items such as fried chicken cutlets and bubble milk tea, Kate drew on her family background — her father and grandfather both ran restaurants in Taiwan — and began experimenting with a small cloud kitchen. She sold lunch boxes, chicken cutlets and gua bao (pork belly buns) before opening Taiwan Mama as a physical restaurant in the plaza. With the growing influx of TSMC employees and suppliers, the business has since become profitable.
由於炸雞排、珍奶等台灣食品在當地難尋，凱特便運用其家族背景─父親與外公在台灣都曾開餐廳─從雲端廚房起家，販售便當、雞排與刈包，之後在商場內開設TAIWAN MAMA實體店面，並隨著台積電相關人口增加而逐漸穩定獲利。
TSMC’s expansion has accelerated these changes. In addition to its first wafer fab in Phoenix, two more fabs are under construction, part of the company’s plan to invest up to US$165 billion in advanced semiconductor manufacturing and related facilities in the United States. The scale of the project has brought an estimated 2,000 TSMC engineers and supply-chain staff to the region, many settling with their families in northern Phoenix.
台積電的擴張也加速了這些變化。目前鳳凰城已有一座晶圓廠運作，另外兩座正興建中，為公司在美國投入上看1,650億美元的先進製造布局的一環。這項大型建設估計吸引約2,000名台積電工程師與供應鏈人員進駐該地區，許多員工與家人選擇在鳳凰城北部落腳。
The launch of direct flights between Taipei and Phoenix — with China Airlines already operating the route and STARLUX Airlines set to follow in 2026 — has made travel more convenient and further anchored the Taiwanese community taking shape around TSMC’s campus.
台北─鳳凰城直飛航線的開通，使往返變得更加便利；華航已啟航，星宇航空預計2026年加入，這也強化了台積電廠區周邊逐漸建立的台灣人社群。
As more families arrive, neighborhoods in northern Phoenix have begun to reflect a growing Taiwanese presence. Taiwanese food and beverage brands are expanding into the area, with chains such as 85°C, Sharetea and DaYung’s already open, and others including Bafang Yunji, Chun Shui Tang and Din Tai Fung preparing to enter the market. Smaller eateries offering lunch boxes, stir-fry dishes and hot pots have formed pockets of Taiwanese dining around the city.
隨著更多家庭移入，鳳凰城北部的街區呈現愈來愈濃厚的台灣氣息。包括85度C、歇腳亭、大苑子等連鎖品牌相繼開店，八方雲集、春水堂、鼎泰豐等也準備進駐；販售便當、熱炒與臭臭鍋的小店則形成一處處台灣味餐飲聚落。
Among them, Taiwan Mama has become a regular gathering place for expatriates. Popular dishes include braised pork rice, fried chicken bentos, fried tempura and beef noodle soup. Seasonal items are added throughout the year, from handmade rice dumplings during the Dragon Boat Festival and ginger duck hot pot in winter to shaved ice and snow ice in the summer, when temperatures often exceed 40 degrees Celsius.
在眾多店家中，TAIWAN MAMA已成為當地台灣人的常聚點。熱門餐點包含炕肉飯、雞腿便當、炸甜不辣與牛肉麵；端午節供應手作肉粽、冬季推出薑母鴨，夏季高溫動輒超過攝氏40度時，則販售剉冰與雪花冰消暑。
To maintain authentic flavors, Kate imports her bubble tea ingredients from Taiwan while sourcing produce and meat locally. Seafood, however, remains difficult to obtain. “Things like baby squid and cuttlefish cakes that are common in Taiwan are very hard to find here,” she said. Certain specialty oils — such as pure black sesame oil and bitter tea oil — also require additional effort to procure from suppliers willing to import them.
為保留原汁原味，珍奶原料由台灣進口，部分蔬菜與肉品則在當地採購。不過海鮮仍是難題。她說：「像台灣常見的小卷、花枝排這裡很難買到。」純黑麻油、苦茶油等特殊油品也必須額外尋找願意進口的供應商。
Opening a restaurant in Arizona came with its own challenges. The process of obtaining licenses, meeting regulatory standards and passing health inspections took more than a year, Kate said. Today, Taiwan Mama employs more than 10 people, including Taiwanese staff and American kitchen assistants, and operations have largely stabilized.
在亞利桑那開設餐廳也並非易事。凱特說，申請執照、符合法規與通過衛生檢查的程序耗時一年多。如今TAIWAN MAMA已僱用超過10人，包括台灣員工與美籍廚務助理，營運已步上軌道。
Beyond running a restaurant, Kate sees food as a bridge between communities. She frequently brings Taiwanese dishes to local school events, Double Ten National Day celebrations and international cultural festivals, often decorating her booth with a large Republic of China (Taiwan) flag. “Our customers are half Taiwanese and half American,” she said, adding that her food both eases homesickness for expatriates and introduces Taiwanese flavors to local residents.
除了經營餐廳之外，凱特也把美食視為不同社群間的橋梁。她常帶著台灣料理參加學校活動、雙十國慶與國際文化節慶，攤位上掛著醒目的中華民國國旗。她說：「我們的客人一半台灣人、一半美國人。」美食能替工程師解鄉愁，也能向當地居民介紹台灣味。
The broader changes around Phoenix underscore the impact of TSMC’s presence. Taiwan’s representative to the United States, Alexander Yui, has observed a sharp increase in Taiwanese students enrolled in local schools, reflecting the clustering of technology-sector workers and their families. Rising demand has also pushed up housing prices in some neighborhoods, with increases of around 20 percent in recent years.
鳳凰城周邊的變化也凸顯台積電的影響力。駐美代表俞大㵢指出，當地學校台灣學生的註冊人數大幅增加，反映科技產業從業者及其家庭的聚集；而人口成長也推升部分地區房價，近年上漲約兩成。
Kate said the transformation has been rapid. “In just three or four years, the changes have been huge. There are more and more Taiwanese here, and naturally people start to gather. Over time, it becomes a Taiwanese community,” she said.
凱特說，這幾年的轉變非常迅速。「短短三、四年，這裡變化真的很大。台灣人愈來愈多，大家自然聚在一起，久而久之就成了台灣社區」。
Even nearby retailers have adapted: Kate noted that a Costco close to the TSMC site now sells items such as sesame paste, iron eggs and Lunar New Year foods like Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, dumplings and hot pot ingredients — signs that Taiwanese consumer habits are increasingly part of the local mainstream.
連附近的量販店也為因應這樣需求而做出改變。凱特指出，一間靠近廠區的好市多分店如今已開始販售麻醬、鐵蛋，甚至在農曆新年期間供應佛跳牆、餃子與火鍋料，顯示台灣人的消費習慣逐漸融入並成為當地主流的一部分。
For many TSMC families, Taiwan Mama represents a small but meaningful comfort: a bowl of braised pork rice, a cup of bubble tea and a reminder of home in a rapidly changing desert city.
對許多台積電家庭而言，TAIWAN MAMA是異鄉裡的一份小小慰藉：一碗炕肉飯、一杯珍奶，足以讓人在快速變動的沙漠城市中找到家鄉的味道。
字詞解釋
hub（名詞）→（活動、商業等的）中心；樞紐。例句：The city’s downtown area is the main transportation hub for the entire region. 這座城 市的市中心是整個地區主要的交通樞紐。
adjust（動詞）→調整；適應。例句：It took the new employee a few weeks to adjust to the company’s fast-paced environment. 這名新進員 工花了好幾週才適應公司的快節奏環境。
crave（動詞）→渴望；熱切需要。例句：After a long hike, I always crave a big, cold glass of iced tea. 長途徒步旅行後，我總是渴望來一大杯冰 鎮紅茶。
influx（名詞）→湧入；大量進入。例句：The unexpected influx of tourists overwhelmed the small town's infrastructure. 意想不到的觀光客 湧入使這小鎮的基礎建設不堪重負。
expatriate（名詞）→僑民；旅居國外的人。例 句：Many expatriates choose to live in the capital city for better job opportunities. 許多僑民選擇 住在首都以獲得更好的工作機會。
transform（動詞）→使徹底改觀；徹底改變。 例句：The new CEO’s strategy helped to transform the struggling company into a market leader. 新任 執行長的策略幫助這家苦苦掙扎的公司蛻變為 市場領導者。（名詞transformation意指轉型）
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