KIMSAN TWINS PORTFOLIO
Introduction
The Kimsan Twins
“In a male– dominated culinary world, two talented Cambodian women have risen up the Food Chain to the top of a successful Siem Reap Restaurants Group.” Introducing Kimsan Twins who are reinventing Traditional Khmer Food .
Personal Data
Name: KIMSAN POL Address: Siem Reap Birthday : September 3, 1982 Age : 33 Educational Background: Ecole d’Hotellerie et de Tourisme Paul Dubrule Siem Reap Cambodia WORK EXPERINCE Company
Position
Year Covered
Victoria Angkor Resort Siem Reap Cambodia
Commis 1
2003-2004
Chef de Partie
2007-2006
Angkor W Group of Restaurant Siem Reap Cambodia
Executive Chef
2006-present
TRAININGS & CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES Year
Description
November 2014 Cooking Demonstration by Henrey Heng and Chef Pauline D. Lagdameo, representatives of Fonterra, the worlds largest dairy company .
October 2014
International cooking demonstration at Victoria Angkor Resort & Spa. The guest Chef/Presenter for the day was Gael Etrillard.
August 2014
Joined the Pattaya City Culinary Cup 2014 Pattaya City, Thailand
June 2014
Hotel-Restaurant Regis et Jacques Marcon Hotel Restaurant 3 Star Michelin Saint Bonnet le Froid. France
October 2013
Created Wild Dinner Menu at Madame Butterfly ( Siem Reap Cambodia) with Guest Chef Gilles Choukroun—Michelin Chef from Paris France
June 2009
Training at Les Enfants Perdus, French Restaurant Paris, France
Affiliated Association 2010– present
Cambodian Chef Association ( CCA)
Name: KIMSAN SOK Address: Siem Reap Birthday : November 9, 1985 Age : 30 Educational Background: Sala Bai Hotel & Restaurant School Siem Reap Cambodia WORK EXPERINCE Company
Position
La Residence Angkor Hotel—Cambodia
Year Covered
Cook
2000-2003
Victoria Angkor Resort -Siem Reap Cambodia
Cook 3
2003-2005
Grand Hyatt Dubai—Dubai
Cook 2
2005-2007
CWCC– Phnom Penh Cambodia
Cook Instructor
2008-2009
Khemara Angkor Hotel—Siem Reap Cambodia
Chef de Partie
2009-2010
Assistant Executive Chef
2010-present
Angkor W Group of Restaurants—Siem Reap Cambodian
TRAININGS & CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES Year
Description
November 2014
Cooking Demonstration by Henrey Heng and Chef Pauline D. Lagdameo, representatives of Fonterra, the worlds largest dairy company
October 2014
International cooking demonstration at Victoria Angkor Resort & Spa. The guest Chef/Presenter for the day was Gael Etrillard.
August 2013
June 2014
Joined the Pattaya City Culinary Cup 2013 Pattaya City, Thailand Hotel-Restaurant Regis et Jacques Marcon Hotel Restaurant 3 Star Michelin Saint Bonnet le Froid. France
October 2013
Created Wild Dinner Menu at Madame Butterfly with Guest Chef Gilles Choukroun—Michelin Chef from Paris France Affiliated Association
2010– present
Cambodian Chef Association ( CCA)
Our Restaurant
Featured Articles
Discovery of Paris France
Bellicart Salmon Vineyard
Eiffel Tower
Angkor W Team with Metro Staff
Special guests arrived in Siem Reap for demonstration
It’s never “just another day” at Angkor W, kitchen staff had a treat today with some special guest presenters arriving in Siem Reap for a cooking and product demonstration that was being held in our own venue, Champey Cooking Class. The special guests included Henrey Heng and Chef Pauline D. Lagdameo, representatives of Fonterra, the worlds largest dairy company. Also in attendance was Anne-Xaviere Vernay representative of AusKhmer Import Export Co., a premier fine food & wine supplier in Cambodia. Our senior Chefs and restaurant managers had the presenters all to themselves for the morning at a special private demonstration. This allowed for some real hands on experience with most getting a chance to come up and have a try. In the afternoon Chefs and representatives of some of Siem Reaps largest hotels and restaurants were invited to attend a further demonstration also held in Champey Cooking Class. The best part about a cooking demonstration (apart from learning a few new tricks and techniques) has got to be the delicious end result. A big thank you to all the organizers. https://angkorw.wordpress.com/2014/11/14/special-guests-arrive-in-siem-reapdemonstration/
International Cooking Demonstration
October 22, 2104 Angkor W Group Executive Chefs the Kimsan twins (Pol & Sok) along with Chef Yann from Chez M. Paul attended an international cooking demonstration at Victoria Angkor Resort & Spa. The guest Chef/Presenter for the day was Gael Etrillard, flown in from France especially for the occasion. You would normally find him working as Pastry chef at the well known Les Vergers Boiron but that day he was our informative host. On behalf of Angkor W thanks for the great demonstration Chef Gael. https://angkorw.wordpress.com/2014/10/22/international-cookingdemonstration/
http://www.wuppmag.com/article.php?id=7987
In Conversation Cambodian Culinary Scene Photos by Nick Sells @ So Shoot Me Studio The Cambodian culinary scene is boiling. Every week new restaurants are opening, each one of them featuring new flavours, identities and experiences. In only a few years, Phnom Penh and Siem Reap have become foodie cities, putting the spotlight on Cambodian fare as well as showcasing international influences. We got together five talented chefs leading the way in this whole new culinary context. Although cooking in Cambodia has never been so exciting, numerous challenges remain. How to bring the best quality when customers expect the food they eat to be cheap, just because it’s Cambodia? How to get the best products while sustaining a business? Find out in the latest fascinating episode of ‘In Conversation’. *** Cristia Nou Picart is the Spanish head chef at Doors Phnom Penh, a hub of cutting edge music and world class food (and serves what is probably the best tapas in Cambodia!) Gisela Salazar Golding is renowned for her fusion of Asian and South American flavours. The Venezuelan chef is in charge of Chinese House’s kitchen, a beautiful Phnom Penh restaurant located in an old French colonial building. Timothy Bruyns is a South African chef and the owner of The Common Tiger, where the local product is the star. The chef worked in many countries around the globe, making dishes that break the limits of cuisine, and adding all of his influences to his plates to create an unforgettable experience.
The Kimsan twins: as executive chefs for Angkor W Group, the two famous Cambodian chefs both control the operations of 11 restaurants,1 bar and 3 food services. A real success story. *** How is the culinary scene in Cambodia? Gisela Salazar Golding: It’s growing for sure, with more expats coming and also locally with more interest in different types of food. We’re no longer in a market where it’s all about French or Cambodian cuisine. Cristia Nou Picart: We have so many different influences here now. For example, before we didn’t have that many Spanish people migrating around the world. I think one of the reasons is that now with the crisis in Europe and especially in Spain; lots of them are leaving the country, including the chefs. So they arrive here with their culture and ask themselves what can be done. One day you will have many chefs from Greece or Mexico, bringing their own traditional food and opening up the local scene even more. Timothy Bruyns: These chefs from abroad come with their own experience and philosophy on food. They are influenced by Cambodian cuisine as much as they influence Cambodian chefs like the Kimsan twins. As chefs, we can create something that’s really like us, while still maintaining some integrity. What has changed? Kimsan Sok: Cuisine has evolved; we are mixing different influences, adapting the traditional recipes.
Timothy: Around the world, people are getting more exposure to Cambodian food and are curious about it. They are coming to the realization that Cambodian food is not the same thing as Thai or Vietnamese. How do you integrate these influences in your cuisine? Kimsan Pol: When it comes to Cambodian cuisine, most of our customers are not used to it. They don’t even have a name in their own language for the herbs and vegetables we cook, and those flavours are strange to them. For example, I tried to serve prahok [fermented fish] which has a very strong flavor and usually customers will just try it and not really eat it. So what I did it is that I paired it with scallops, a taste they’re used to, and that balances the prahok. That’s how I will make them come to Cambodian flavours. That’s my passion, I want to create new experiences to highlight Cambodian flavours. The idea is to do something different from others. Kimsan Sok: When some Cambodian people try our fusion food, they find it strange. It’s not the traditional way they know. Some people don’t want to change their flavours. Cristia: It’s a matter of education; it takes time for the tastes to evolve.
How do you foreign chefs adapt your cuisine? Cristia: In my case, I cook very traditional Spanish dishes, but when I go to the market I’ll be introduced to Cambodian products I don’t know, fish for example. I cook the Spanish way but I do it with local products. Gisela: I come from Venezuela and we have the same weather as here, so we have a lot of fruits and vegetables in common. The flavours are the same but I will play with them in a different way. In my dishes I will add some very local tones to adapt those recipes to people’s taste. But in the end it’s really about the interpretation of the food. Timothy: It’s really exciting to work with new flavours: it’s different and challenging. I try not to be bound to any specific cuisine even in term of techniques and methods. The only important thing is to focus on the product in order to showcase and promote it.
What is the challenge in being a chef in Cambodia? Timothy: What constitutes a dining experience? Is it just being full and happy and paying a little bit of money, or experiencing something that you haven’t before? Here you have to fight against the idea that “Cambodia equals cheap and having a backpack and a massive bowl of something filling for little money”. Have a look at Trip Advisor, most of the time the main comment is “too expensive for Cambodia”. Gisela: This is the main prejudice against the business here in Cambodia. Fighting these ideas
Cristia: For example in Spanish cuisine you use Iberico ham or chorizo which cost a lot to import. Kimsan Pol: Even if our restaurant is nicer with a professional service, some customers will always complain. For us priority goes to quality, not making people sick. This has a cost. This issue of the price of a dish seems like a hot topic… Timothy: Even at the local market, I pay $14 for 1kg of prawns, once you’ve cleaned them you have 700g left. If I put four prawns on the plate, it already costs me $3-4. Plus in the past, people were opening restaurants in their house which means no rent, they weren’t using AC and the staff was the family.
Kimsan Sok: It’s true. At our restaurants for example we pay high salaries, insurance, school fees. The place is air conditioned so this is also included in the price you pay. But some competitors will copy our menu, serve it cheaper with a low quality service and people will complain to us. Kimsan Sok: For us in terms of food cost it’s a bit easier though, as we cook Asian food and can find everything in the local market. The average price for a main course is between $6 and $12. Timothy: That’s the thing! In a tourist town like Siem Reap where people spend money as they’re on holidays it’s pretty affordable. In Phnom Penh, the market is driven by people living here. Gisela: It’s important to understand that the menu I serve at Chinese House would cost three times the price in Paris or London. Is being a chef considered as an interesting career by the younger generations? Kimsan Pol: It’s becoming popular among young people. Kimsan Sok: They also understood the opportunity in terms of position and salary. It’s easier to get a job as a chef than as staff.
Gisela: If you have the curiosity, there is so much freedom and opportunities to discover new flavours and new techniques. It also raises the question of transmission… Cristia: As a chef you really need to take care of your staff and train them. You have to be passionate about the food but also about the people… Timothy: ...and make people understand that being a chef depends on hard work. It can be a tough work environment with long hours and high stress. The only way to sustain a career is to be passionate about the food, about the products.
ASIA LIFE MAGAZINE LINK: http://www.asialifemagazine.com/cambodia/reinventing-traditional-khmer-food/
WILD DINNER MOVIE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNDDgdw5E4c
LAUNCHING OF WILD DINNER MOVIE
Link: http://www.phnompenhpost.com/siem-reap-insider/man-about-town-15-november-2013
Link: http://www.phnompenhpost.com/siem-reap-insider/new-look-madame-butterfly-restaurant-emerges
LINK:
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/siem-reap-insider/visiting-french-chef-creates-wild-dinner
TWINS MEET FISH SUPPLIER AT SIHANOUK VILLE, CAMBODIA
FHM 2013 In Malaysia
Sep 17- 20 , 2013
ANGKOR SANGKTRANTA TRADE FAIR ‘14 APRIL 13-16, 2014
Angkor W Group of Restaurants Sponsored the making of the Giant Rice Cake
LINK: http://www.phnompenhpost.com/siem-reap-insider/local-chefs-compete-pattaya
LINK
http://www.postkhmer.com/index.php/lifestyle/food/101546-2013-07-30-04-19-06 http://www.postkhmer.com/index.php/lifestyle/food/101546-2013-07-30-04-19-06 http://www.postkhmer.com/index.php/lifestyle/food/101546-2013-07-30-04-19-06 http://www.postkhmer.com/index.php/lifestyle/food/101546-2013-07-30-04-19-06
KIMSAN SOK
WITH TEAM
CAMBODIA
WINNING SILVER MEDAL DURING PATTAYA CITY CULINARY CUP 2013 PATTAYA CITY , THAILAND
TWINS TOGETHER
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For more information contact :
Clem P. Balasoto Angkor W Group of Restaurants Siem Reap Cambodia Public Relations & Communication Manager prmanager@angkorw.com / +85577649794