Books for Cooks

Thi Bich Phuong Le is a Melbourne-based chef restaurateur of Vietnamese descent. She runs a small, exciting and inspirational restaurant, Anchovy, in inner-Melbourne's Richmond, and a bánh mi bar called Ca Com with her partner Jia-Yen Lee and their spoodle Cheddar Cheese.

Thi's cooking has been lauded by many critics for its innovation, for its singular purpose and deep dives into regional and traditional Vietnamese and Laotian cuisine and for her focus on local and sustainable produce which has led to her making her own Port Phillip Bay fish sauce and incorporating native ingredients into her repertoire.

Anchovy is a dining icon in inner Melbourne now celebrating its 10th year regularly receiving accolades and reviews. (e.g., the latest review from Broadsheet)

Viet Kieu, written with her life and business partner, is Thi's first book. Named for her origins, 'viet kieu' literally means people with 'vietnamese heritage who live outside Vietnam'. For Thi, it means much more and includes the sum of her complex life experiences including being a child refugee from Vietnam in Malaysia, a teenager in Western Sydney caught between cultures, and a curious and inspiring chef with an Asian heritage cooking in western kitchens.

Like Thi, and like our dining experiences at Anchovy, the book Viet Kieu is exciting, deeply personal, complex and richly rewarding. There is much to learn here for anyone interested in South-East Asian food. The recipes are a reflection of the evolution of her restaurant, her drive to catalogue and learn about Vietnamese dishes and cooking techniques often from first principles, and the subtle but ever present complexity of being 'viet kieu' in modern Australia.

In between the extensive and detailed recipes, J-Y tells their back story, the birth of Anchovy and the many challenges they have overcome to give meaning to being 'viet kieu'.

"One of the most important chefs and migrant voices of this generation", Kylie Kwong

We are very much looking forward to hosting Thi and J-Y and exploring the origins and magic of their evocative Vietnamese inspired cuisine.

Please join us on Monday 12th May for a wonderful intimate discussion. As usual tastes from the books will be served.

Tickets are limited.