Exclusive interview with Chef Chanthy Yen

You are already a celebrity in Canada, but for those who don’t know you yet, could you describe your cooking?

My style of cuisine is based on concepts. When you have a beautiful concept and idea, you can work within it and around it. My style of cooking would be researching in-depth to create and crystallize the concept.

For my first restaurant in Montreal, we did a new Canadian cuisine tasting menus, afterwards I worked at Parliament Pub and Parlour, and there I created a Cambodian pop-up during the pandemic called Touk. Touk had a Cambodian street food menu and we paired it with different mixologists from around the world, even hosting the American Bar from the Savoy Hotel in London. I also worked for about 2 years for those places you probably know:  the Cold Room and El Pequeno. After that I was consulted to open a restaurant in Montreal called Tiramisu. 

You have a footprint in different Canadian markets, how does it impact your cooking?

It impacts quite a bit. The difficult part for any chef is to translate your passion on the plate. How do you portray your message while still creating something satisfying? That's always one of the challenges across Canada when you're opening up these businesses and restaurants; how do things translate, or will they get lost in translation?

With experience cooking for over 20 years, it has become a bit easier.  Being honest with your guests, being honest with yourself and being open to criticism will humble you and form you into becoming a professional. It has helped me out a lot recently. 

Last year, when the Michelin Guide came to Vancouver, we won a Bib Gourmand as a vegan restaurant. Completely plant based. So it’s always working within these beautiful ideas, and trying to translate the message in a successful way.

Where do these ideas come from, how are these concepts created?

It's all about brainstorming and collaborations. As I don't own the restaurants that I've worked in, someone else comes with a skeleton of a concept and asks me: what can we do with this? It's kind of like: “Hey, Chanthy! Can you make a restaurant based on this straw? How many ideas do you have about this straw? Then you will come up with: is it food from the straw? Do you plate food on it? Does everything come in straw shape?... so that what makes these restaurants and concepts successful: brainstorm, collaboration and deliberation!

Back to your to your roots. When you were in your grandmother's kitchen, what are the first sensations that you can remember?

The very first memory that I have in my grandmother's kitchen is waking up in the morning and hearing her with a mortar and pestle, just grinding the stones. I'm like: what is that banging sound? So I went into the kitchen and saw her working just above the mortar and pestle, making a kroeung paste, which is a yellow curry paste that's very popular in Cambodia.

Ever since that moment, I was given this tool almost like a baton: ‘’it's yours now’’. I worked with her to make food every day. I cooked my first pot of rice at the age of 6 or 7. So I've always been in the kitchen. It isn't just a career for me, it's a part of my life.

So, your first sensation is not a smell or an aroma but a sound!

Yes, it's more a click, click, click, and the rhythm. That's kind of how I work. it's creating a pulse in the kitchen.

Most people don't really know Cambodian cooking so what are the markers that can help to identify it? 

Cambodian cuisine is difficult to describe and is dependent on region.  However, one can say Cambodian cuisine is very aromatic, refreshing and has a deep history. You can see Indian influences, Thai, and even Chinese influences in our cuisine throughout the years. One of the best Cambodian restaurants in Montreal right now with a modern twist is Les Street Monkeys. There are Cambodian chefs all around the globe that are more comfortable cooking Thai, Japanese cuisine or something else, but now is the turning point where there is more representation.  When cooking food from home, you will notice in their delivery, the honesty and inspiration in food that is rooted in Cambodian culture.

What is the thing that you you're the proudest of, to date?

Last year the Cambodian Community of Quebec came together at an annual Krama Gala Dinner to celebrate the community and growth throughout the years. Amongst the few, I was granted the Rising Star Award for making a statement on Cambodian Food Culture throughout Canada and providing exposure. I've never had something so special from my community before. There's a lot of awards you can win, but nothing raises you up like recognition from your own community. If you don't have a team behind you, you're celebrating alone. 

It also allows you to help pave the way for other people in the community, to show them what can be achieved. Like being Chef to the Prime Minister or other top tier positions. In the future, young Cambodian Chefs can say, hey, maybe I can do that too. 

Was it a breakthrough in your career being the personal chef of Justin Trudeau? 

Working for Justin Trudeau was a great way to diversify my experiences as a chef. To bring to the table a career full of memories, opportunities, and culture. It was my responsibility to bring that to the table every day. 

And to be able to do that for the Trudeau family was fulfilling for me. Pierre Trudeau opened the doors to immigration during the Civil War in Cambodia, allowing my family into this country. So to be able to give back to Canada, feeding the Prime Minister and his family was a very rare and special experience.

You’ve had so many interviews before, so to diversify the questions a little bit, we wanted to ask you ‘’If you’’ questions, so here it is:

If you would be a kitchen tool, which would you be? I would be a whisk!

If you would be a spice? It would be chili peppers. Spicy!

If you would be a wine? I would be a Lambrusco. Bubbly and refreshing.

If you were on a deserted island for a month with only three dishes to eat, what would there be? Noodles. rice, and…uhm… pizza! (Laughs)

Let’s finish with a funny story that happened in your life or cooking career. 

When I was younger, my grandfather tried to buy me candy from the grocery store (at that time A&P). But there was one problem, he couldn't quite read English. I generally had the role of family translator and that time and wasn’t there to assist…so he gave it to me as a gift but when I ate it, I quickly realized I was eating mixed peppercorns! He was either pulling a prank or honestly didn’t realize. I still appreciated the thought and continued to finish the mouthful of peppercorns.  If I could only witness my face as a child!  

So that's kind of life, right? Whenever you have a humbling experience like this, whether it be a fluke or an accident, you have a choice to your reaction.  

Follow Chanthy on intagram: @chanthyyen