Thi Bich Phuong Le is a Melbourne-based chef-restaurateur of Vietnamese descent. She runs two small restaurants, Anchovy and Jeow, in inner-Melbourne's Richmond, and a banh mi bar called Ca Com with her partner Jia-Yen Lee and their spoodle Cheddar Cheese.
'This book has shaken me to my core. One of the most important chefs and migrant voices of this generation, Thi Le generously - and courageously - allows us into the deepest recesses of her heart. And through her utterly delicious, boundary-pushing cooking, she reminds us of the true healing power of food and community. With intuitive observations by Thi's life and work partner Jia-Yen Lee, Viet Kieu is a cookbook like no other, and one that I believe will be spoken about for years to come.' Kylie Kwong 'Thi Le cooks with a fire that's more than heat - it's instinct, heart and heritage. Her food is fearless and full of flavour, sparking an engaging dialogue between her Vietnamese roots and Australian ingredients.' Lennox Hastie 'What I love about Thi as a chef is that she is not interested in trends. She makes food that is studied and born from history. She's unafraid to experiment and take time-honoured food traditions from Vietnam and recreate them in Melbourne. It's astounding the lengths she will go to in search of flavour and authenticity. She is incredibly generous in sharing all this knowledge with anyone who wants to know more about the truly beautiful, complex cuisines of South-East Asia.' Danielle Alvarez