Fueling Connection, Building Community: Ricky Ly ’08 and the Power of Shared Experience
Civil engineer by day and one of Orlando’s most recognizable food storytellers by night, Ricky Ly ’08 is building more than infrastructure across Central Florida. He is helping shape a more connected, vibrant community, one story, one meal and one relationship at a time.
Growing up in West Palm Beach, Ly’s earliest understanding of community , but from his father’s Asian market. It was a gathering place where immigrant families found both familiar ingredients and a sense of belonging. At home, meals reflected his Vietnamese and Chinese heritage, with dishes shared and stories exchanged just as freely. Food was never just food. It was connection.
That idea stayed with him.
When Ly arrived at UCF in 2003, he pursued civil engineering at UCF’s College of Engineering and Computer Science, drawn to the discipline’s ability to shape how communities function and grow. At the same time, he immersed himself in campus life. He served as president of the Vietnamese American Student Association, represented the College of Engineering and Computer Science as a student government senator and founded a chapter of Pi Delta Psi, creating spaces where students could find connection and support.
He also discovered another way to build.
Writing for the Central Florida Future, UCF’s student newspaper at the time, Ly began reviewing local restaurants, exploring Orlando through its food and highlighting places that might otherwise go unnoticed. It was a natural extension of his upbringing. Food became a lens through which he could tell stories, celebrate culture and bring people together.
At the same time, his engineering path was taking shape through internships with the Florida Department of Transportation and the City of Kissimmee’s stormwater department. There, he saw firsthand how infrastructure influences daily life, from how people move through a city to how communities grow and adapt.
Ly is a senior drainage engineer and project manager in Jacobs’ Orlando office, working on transportation projects, environmental permitting, resiliency and stormwater basin studies for local, state and federal clients.
Throughout his engineering career, he has contributed to major initiatives, including SunTrax, a Central Florida testing ground for emerging transportation technologies, including autonomous vehicles.
Two paths. One purpose.
Still Hungry After Graduation
After graduating in 2008, Ly launched Tasty Chomps, a platform dedicated to spotlighting Central Florida’s food scene — particularly small, family-owned businesses. What began as a personal passion project evolved into a trusted voice, chronicling the region’s culinary growth and diversity.
His work eventually reached a national audience, including an appearance on Season 7 of Somebody Feed Phil, where he showcased Orlando’s dynamic food culture. Recognition followed from regional and national outlets, but Ly’s motivation has remained consistent.
“Some say food is a universal language, a form of love. I love sharing food and making connections in our community, often around a good meal,” he says.
Those connections, particularly Ly’s efforts to uplift theAsian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, led Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings to name him the county’s Citizen of the Year in 2025.
That focus on connection reflects a broader mindset that aligns with UCF’s Go For Launch campaign. It is not just about individual success. It is about expanding opportunity, elevating communities and creating ripple effects that extend far beyond a single moment.
Making a Mark in the Orlando Community and Beyond
Ly’s impact reaches well beyond storytelling.
He serves on the board of directors for the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, helping address food insecurity across the region. He also co-founded Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Coming Together, an initiative that encourages civic engagement and elevates their voices in the Orlando community.
Through community-driven fundraisers, he has helped raise thousands of dollars for humanitarian efforts, including support for World Central Kitchen.
Ly’s commitment to giving back extends to UCF as well. He has served as a mentor for the Engineering Leadership and Innovation Institute at UCF and partnered with UCF Alumni to highlight the Exolith Lab and the new UCF Library during UCF Day of Giving.
This is where Ly’s story fully reflects the spirit of Go For Launch.
He is not just building for himself. He is helping accelerate opportunity for others, strengthening pathways for students and contributing to a broader ecosystem of support, mentorship and community impact.
Whether designing stormwater systems or documenting local restaurants, Ly approaches his work with the same underlying belief: that what we build should improve how people experience the world and how they connect within it.
He often reflects on the opportunities that shaped his journey, from his family’s sacrifices to the relationships he built at UCF.
He often reflects on the opportunities that shaped his journey, from his family’s sacrifices to the relationships he built at UCF.
He has served as chair of the Florida Water Environment Association’s Water Resources, Reuse and Resiliency Committee and as community service chair for the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Environmental and Water Resources Institute, East Central Florida Branch.
Through infrastructure and storytelling, philanthropy and mentorship, he continues to build connections that strengthen Central Florida and reflect the forward momentum of a university committed to leading into its next era of impact.
Because whether he is designing systems or documenting a neighborhood restaurant, Ly is ultimately doing the same thing he has always done: helping people feel connected to the communities around them.
To whom much is given, much is required,” he says.
It is a principle that guides his work and underscores a larger truth. Impact is not defined solely by what you achieve. It is measured by how you lift others, how you create access and how you contribute to something bigger than yourself.
In that way, Ly’s story is still unfolding.
