In the Kitchen with The Elephant Walk’s Nyep and Nadsa De Monteiro (3/3)

Daughter Nadsa teaches cooking classes throughout the year as well, at The Elephant Walk Restaurant. Nyep's focus tends to be on traditional Cambodian cuisine while Nadsa, more the maverick, teaches traditional and original Cambodian dishes as well as French and even "fusion" cooking, dishes that include techniques and ingredients of more than one culinary tradition. Last Spring Gerard Lopez (Nyep's son-in-law and Nadsa's brother-in-law), Chef at The Elephant Walk in Cambridge, joined the teaching team. A native of Beziers in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of southern France, Gerard teaches-you guessed it -French cuisine! A frequent instructor at the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts (from which he is also an alumnus), Gerard is a knowledgeable and entertaining instructor. Elephant Walk Cookbook: The Elephant Walk Cookbook is a valuable introduction to the lively and sophisticated flavors of Cambodia. “My mother has written this cookbook with the idea of preserving authentic recipes and therefore its culinary culture and heritage for everyone but especially for future generations of Cambodians,” commented Nadsa. “Our culture has been decimated by the tragic genocide and war for over 20 years. Many people were killed and among them great cooks so along with them went many authentic recipes. The new generation of Cambodians grew up mostly in poverty and in refugee camps along the Thai border. After our trips to Cambodia, we were very saddened to witness the disappearance of many authentic dishes. And, many others were diluted by other neighboring cultures, mostly Thai. That is then the spirit of this cookbook, to preserve our culinary heritage as well as to share with the world our wonderful cuisine.” Is there another cookbook in the future? Nadsa replies: “My mother and I have been thinking about writing a cookbook together which will incorporate other authentic recipes that are not in the first cookbook but also our very own recipes of original dishes that we have created the past 15 years or so for our restaurants which have been great favorites for our customers.” Secret of Success: Believe in Your Concept and Your Food Nadsa thoughtfully offers some sage comments and advice on becoming a success in the restaurant business: “In this very hard business, you try and fail many times before you get it just right. It takes patience, perseverance and a lot of love for the food that you cook. No culinary school or restaurant school will ever prepare you sufficiently to own your own restaurant. You learn everyday in this business and your business itself is your school where you get better with experience and hard work. A very strong belief in your concept and in your food is necessary to have a successful business, as this enthusiasm and love will transpire to your customers through your food and along with everything that you do.”