Come Eat!
Survival Staples with Southeast Asian Chefs
“Come eat!” is the most comforting form of love language for Southeast Asians. If there’s anything we do best during a pandemic, it’s thriving on comfort dishes that have stood the test of multiple disruptions in our lives. Join us in the virtual kitchen to learn the fundamentals, pantry must-haves, and survival staples from Hmong, Khmer, Lao, and Viet cooks in these engaging and educational sessions.
Registration is required. All participants get a digital illustrated booklet with all the recipes. All workshops will be hosted on Zoom and we will open up the Q&A portions to the public via Facebook Live. Workshops are free and open to the public with any donation welcomed to keep our work going. Contribute here: theseadproject.org/donate
Goals:
- To promote storytelling through food and memory.
- To offer survival staples from personal recipes that are simple and easy to make.
- To learn the basics and fundamentals of each cuisine (Hmong, Khmer, Lao, Vietnamese).
Workshop Schedule:
Cooking with Yia Vang
Wednesday, May 13th at 5:00 pm CST: Chef Yia Vang, Union Kitchen and Vinai
Learn about the fundamentals of cooking Hmong food, pantry must-haves and how to make Chef Yia's Hmong Comfort Dish.
Cooking with Chef Saeng
Friday, May 15th at 1:00 pm CST: Chef Saengthong Douangdara, Saeng’s Kitchen
Learn about the fundamentals of cooking Lao food, pantry must-haves and how to make Chef Saeng’s Lao Comfort Dish.
Cooking with the Dao Siblings
Wednesday, May 20th, 1:00 pm CST: Joan & Will Dao
Learn about the fundamentals of cooking Vietnamese food, pantry must-haves and how to make a Vietnamese Comfort Dish.
Cooking with Seri & Catzie
Friday, May 22nd at 5:00 pm CST: Seri Chao & Catzie Vilayphonh, Seri Cooks & Laos in the House
Learn about the fundamentals of cooking Khmer food, pantry must-haves and how to make Seri & Catzie's Comfort Dish.
A Cook's Dinner Table
Wednesday, June 3rd at 6:00 pm CST
A round table dinner conversation with all of our pop-up chefs, including an "Ask Me Anything" portion with participants.
Featured Chefs:
Image by The Restaurant Project¨ 2019
Yia Vang was born in a Thai refugee camp, came to the United States at five years old, and eventually arrived in the Twin Cities as part of the largest urban Hmong population in the world. He cooked at Nighthawks, Borough, and Gavin Kaysen’s Spoon & Stable before starting Union Hmong Kitchen, and serves as a passionate, tireless, funny, and forgiving advocate for Hmong food as an expression of Hmong culture.
Websites: Union Kitchen & Vinai
Will Dao is a recent college graduate in Food Science from the University of Minnesota. He started cooking Vietnamese food with his aunt at age 3, and in the 18 years since, he has found a passion for cooking, singing, and stand up comedy.
Seri Chao is a home cook who documents his love for Khmer cuisine through his Youtube channel "Seri Cooks". Catzie Vilayphonh is an artist and also Founder of Laos In The House, promoting storytelling in the Lao American refugee community through the arts. Both Philly natives, Catzie and Seri met while advocating for unjust deportations of Cambodian Americans. On their first date, Catzie made an exquisite mac and cheese that when Seri asked for the recipe she told him they would have to get married first. As husband and wife, Seri and Catzie share their love of food together with their daughter Aditi and through cooking their favorite dishes for friends and family, which is sometimes documented on Seri Cooks.