“To see Lao cuisine in the main grocery aisle,” says a co-founder of Laos to Your House, is “the execution of our mission beyond what we could think.”
Playlist Southeast Asian
Southeast Asian
Chloe Gould Overcame Kidney Disease to Open a Unique Restaurant in Her Native Bronzeville
Daniel HautzingerGrowing up in Bronzeville, Chloe Gould didn't know that a being a chef was a career or what ginger root was. Now she's opening a restaurant that combines the Southeast Asian flavors of her time in Singapore with her American Southern heritage.
Lettuce Entertain You Opens a Restaurant Exploring Southeast Asia in River North with Thai Dang of HaiSous
Daniel HautzingerCrying Tiger ranges as far afield as Hong Kong and the Philippines, with a core focus on Thai and Vietnamese dishes, including ones you might be surprised to find in touristed River North.
Lao Der Is Chicago's First Sit-Down Lao Restaurant in Over a Decade
Daniel HautzingerTwo lifelong friends from Southeast Asia have opened Chicago's only sit-down Lao restaurant in Irving Park in order to share the food they grew up with and learned from their families.
A Malaysian Pop-Up, Subject of a New Film, Was Born of a Cross-Country Romance
Daniel HautzingerMike Alesi and Jennifer Pou-Alesi got married just before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the world. They decided to start cooking the food of Pou-Alesi's home country of Malaysia, a story recounted in a new short film.
Ethan Lim's Cambodian-Inspired Fine Dining Puts Guests at Ease and Summons Memories
Daniel HautzingerAt his Chicago restaurant Hermosa, Ethan Lim offers Cambodian-inspired sandwiches during the day and a "Family Meal" multi-course private dining menu at night. He's the subject of a new American Masters profile.
A Refugee Mother's Recipes Give Her Life and Inspire One of Chicago's Only Cambodian Restaurants
Daniel HautzingerMona Sang opened Khmai Fine Dining, one of two Cambodian restaurants in Chicago, to share the recipes and culture of her mother, who fled the Khmer Rouge genocide and ended up in Chicago, where she supported herself and four children as a caterer.
A Recipe for a Cambodian Dip Redolent of Childhood
Daniel HautzingerPrahok ktiss reminds the owner of one of Chicago's only Cambodian restaurants of childhood, when her mother would make it. Now it's one of her favorite dishes, and available at Khmai Fine Dining in Rogers Park.
