Sakal Phoeung And Journey To Find Peace In The Chaos Of Cooking.
English translation of latest interview with Sakal Pheoung in Baazar Vietnam.
Article in Vietnamese: https://bazaarvietnam.vn/lifestyle/wine-dine/sakal-phoeung-hanh-trinh-tim-lai-binh-yen-noi-am-thuc/
Sakal Phoeung And Journey To Find Peace In The Chaos Of Cooking.
After a traumatizing childhood growing up under Khme Rouge regime, the little boy from Cambodia has found his peace in the chaos of the kichen. Chef Sakal Phoeung shared his journey to transfer his love of life to his food with Chris Thompson, editor of Harper’s Bazaar.
CHRIS THOMPSON: Hello Sakal. Can you tell us a little bit about your childhood?
SAKAL PHOEUNG: My parents were murdered by the Khme Regime in 1975, when I was only 8 years old. Of all family, only me and my older sister survived. We hid in a rice truck that carried us to a refugee camp in Thailand, where we were very lucky to get adopted by a family from Savoie (French). They loved and took care of us as their own. Until today, I still recall vividly the smell of rice in that fateful truck.
CHRIS: What was special about growing up in France?
SAKAL: The cold winter and the snow was definitely strange to me, but most important was the times when my mother cooked. Even from when I was not fluent in French, I have stood next to her and helped her in the kitchen. Cooking brought me an infinite wave of calm and joy even from those early days.
CHRIS: What was your first cooking job in France?
SAKAL: At the beginning of my career, I was a commis de cuisine in Savoie, also the city when I grew up. The head chef there was a traditionalist by the book. He was an extreme perfectionist, a little bit old-fashioned but also very passionate. He always showed up first and be the last to leave. And the kitchen was so quiet; no one said a word and followed his every single order and instruction. Lots of time I felt like I was at school. Everyday we work from 14 to 15 hours on average. The first tough job trained me well for the stress of the kitchen life and I also learned a lot there.
CHRIS: Can you tell us your most memorable experience being a head chef in France?
SAKAL: In this Relais & Châteaux institution, I was a sous-chef, not a head chef, but that time was extremely important to me. One year after I joined the team, we received our first Michelin star. My head chef was trained under Alain Ducasse, and from him I learned a lot about the cuisine of Provence. That is also the reason why most of my food partly influenced from Mediteranian cuisine.
CHRIS: What is your cooking style and your cooking inspiration?
SAKAL: Respecting the ingredient and cooking with love. The most important lesson that all French chef has to keep in mind is to make the ingredient the star of the dish. Therefore, my inspiration is the top quality ingredients. My cooking style is a little bit influenced by Mediteranian cuisine. Apart from that, I always mix match the flavor and have fun with seasonal local ingredients.
CHRIS: What makes you return to Asia? Which kitchen have you ran before opening Le Corto?
SAKAL: When I was small, I always imagined myself traveling the world like in Jules Verne’s novels. I have over 25 years in fine dining restaurants and 5 star hotels around the world. I was the head chef of Sofitel Wanda Beijing and the head chef at the launching of Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra. After that, I came to Vietnam to be the head chef of Sofitel Saigon Plaza. Now, I continue my passion for cooking at Le Corto and Annam Group.
CHRIS: How long have you been the chairman of Escoffier Vietnam and what is the goal of this institution?
SAKAL: I have been the chairman of Escoffier Vietnam (shortened of Les Disciples d’ Escoffier – Vietnam Chapter) since 2015, after it was founded by Didier Corlou. Escoffier Vietnam has two main goals. First is to gather all chef and food lovers to share the love of French cuisine, and second is to pass down the knowledge and techniques of French cuisine to the young Vietnamese culinary talents.
In Escoffier Vietnam, young chefs are exposed to experienced chef, many among them hold Michelin stars. This is also the first step for them to compete in international competitions. Also, Escoffier Vietnam takes part in multiple charity projects like Alain Carpentier Foundation, to make sure every child has equal opportunities in life. Just like my opportunity to go to French and discover my passion for cooking.
CHRIS: If you could host a dinner for 5 famous figures of all time, who would you choose to invite?
SAKAL: Jules Verne, Hồ Chí Minh, Kylian Mbappé, Angelina Jolie and Bruno Mars.
CHRIS: Which three words do you use to describe yourself?
SAKAL PHOEUNG: Dreamer, patient and passionate.
CHRIS THOMPSON: Thank you very much for sharing.