Chef Nak ( km, ចុងភៅណាក់; born Rotanak Ros () in 1985 in

Phnom Penh Phnom Penh (; km, ភ្នំពេញ, ) is the capital and most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since the French protectorate of Cambodia and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its economic, indus ...

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...

) is a

Cambodian Cambodian usually refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Cambodia ** Cambodian people (or Khmer people) ** Cambodian language (or Khmer language) ** For citizens and nationals of Cambodia, see Demographics of Cambodia ** Fo ...

celebrity chef, culinary author, and entrepreneur.

Biography

Rotanak began cooking at the age of five, with the aid of her elder sister and neighbors, to care for her siblings while both of her parents were in the hospital recovering after a traffic accident. Growing up, Rotanak and her elder sister continued to cook for their siblings as their parents worked long hours. Rotanak began working as the Program Coordinator for Cambodian Living Arts at the age of 19, before becoming its Head of Finance at the age of 22. There she learned about the preservation of Cambodian

performing arts The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which are the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. Perform ...

and soon began applying the knowledge gained in the preservation of

Cambodian cuisine Cambodian cuisine is an umbrella term for the cuisines of all ethnic groups in Cambodia, whereas Khmer cuisine ( km, សិល្បៈធ្វើម្ហូបខ្មែរ; ) refers specifically to the more than thousand years old culina ...

as well. In October 2018, Rotanak started offering luxury private home cooking classes and dining at her house in

. She hosts one diner group a day for three days a week, while her cooking classes have a capacity of up to 60 people. It was named one of "Asia’s 7 top emerging foodie travel destinations" by the ''

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'' in 2020, In 2019, after a successful

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campaign, Rotanak released "Nhum – Recipes from a Cambodian Kitchen", a collection of approximately 80 traditional Cambodian recipes from various parts of Cambodia, in both

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and Khmer. The cookbook received Gourmand Awards in the "Woman chef Book" and "Published in Asia" categories in 2020. In 2019, Rotanak partnered with Brasserie Louis in Rosewood Phnom Penh to design a 12 dish signature menu for the restaurant. She has also helped curate the Cambodian menu for the restaurant Khmer Kitchen in

Bangalore Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. In April 2021, Chef Nak was featured on

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

as her cookbook was made available on

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology c ...

. Later that year, Rotanak was named one of "10 Asian Chefs and Innovators Who Have Changed the Way We Eat" by the American magazine ''

Taste of Home ''Taste of Home'' is an American media brand centered on food. It is an example of user-generated content in magazines, publishing recipes submitted by home cooks. ''Taste of Home'' is owned by Trusted Media Brands, which also owns ''Reader's Di ...

''. Chef Nak Home Dining was named one of the "14 of the Best Dining Experiences Around the World" by the travel magazine ''

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'' in May 2022, while her private cooking classes have been listed as one of "Asia's best cookery schools" by Food and Travel Magazine. On May 12, 2023, she published her second cookbook "SAOY – Royal Cambodian Home Cuisine", which was presented at the Rosewood Phnom Penh Hotel on May 12 and dedicated to

Cambodian royal cuisine Khmer royal cuisine or Cambodian royal cuisine ( km, ម្ហូបព្រះបរមរាជវាំង or simply ) is one of the three types of Khmer cuisine, the other two being elite and rural cuisine. Khmer royal cuisine has evolve ...

. The cookbook was based on Princess Norodom Rasmi Sobbhana's cookbook, a copy of which was given to Chef Nak by a daughter of a former U.S. ambassador in Cambodia. On November 28, 2023, "SAOY – Royal Cambodian Home Cuisine" received Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in the categories "Best Of The Best", "Asian-Books" and "Heads Of State".

References

External links

Chef Nak's official websiteChef Nak's Facebook pageChef Nak's Instagram pageChef Nak's YouTube channelRotanak Ros 'Chef Nak', Cambodian Chef, Culinary Author and Entrepreneur
19 January 2022. Rising Giants

30 November 2019.

Voice of America Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is the state-owned news network and international radio broadcaster of the United States of America. It is the largest and oldest U.S.-funded international broadcaster. VOA produces digital, TV, and radio content ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ros, Rotanak (Chef Nak) Cambodian chefs Women chefs Cambodian businesspeople Cambodian women in business Cambodian cookbook writers Living people 1985 births