Book Launch: Viet Kieu by Thi Le and Jia-Yen Lee

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

'Viet kieu' literally means people with 'vietnamese heritage who live outside Vietnam'. For Thi, it includes the sum of her 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.

Deeply personal, complex and richly rewarding, Viet Kieu offers much to learn for anyone interested in southeast 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.

Tastes from the books will be served.