Joannès "Jo" Rivière is a
French chef, restaurateur and
cookbook author specializing in
Cambodian cuisine. He has been regarded as the leading Western authority on Cambodian food.
Biography
Rivière was born and grew up in
Roanne
Roanne (; frp, Rouana; oc, Roana) is a commune in the Loire department, central France.
It is located northwest of Lyon on the river Loire. It has an important Museum, the ''Musée des Beaux-arts et d'Archéologie Joseph-Déchelette'' (Fre ...
, France.
He recalls his Christmas family dinners being a mix of
French and
Southeast Asian dishes, such as
larp
A live action role-playing game (LARP) is a form of role-playing game where the participants physically portray their characters.(Tychsen et al. 2006:255) "LARPs can be viewed as forming a distinct category of RPG because of two unique feature ...
, which was introduced by his uncle who had worked as a pilot in
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 Thailan ...
in the 1970s.
Rivière learned cooking while working in his family restaurant. After graduating from a culinary school in France Rivière worked as a
pastry chef
A pastry chef or pâtissier (; the French female version of the word is pâtissière ), is a station chef in a professional kitchen, skilled in the making of pastries, desserts, breads and other baked goods. They are employed in large hotels, bi ...
in
Nantucket and
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
for two years.
Having to do
military service
Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job ( volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription).
Some nations (e.g., Mexico) require ...
, Rivière opted for civic service instead
and moved to Cambodia in August 2003 to work as a volunteer culinary teacher and restaurant manager for the
non-profit
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
Sala Baï Hotel and Restaurant School in
Siem Reap. To raise funds for the school he wrote a Cambodian cookbook ''La cuisine du Cambodge avec les aprentis de Sala Bai'', which was published in 2005 and sold more than 8,000 copies in France. Rivière confessed initially not being impressed by the
Cambodian cuisine but becoming interested in it when doing the book.
In 2005 he started working at the ''Hotel de la Paix's Meric'' as an executive
sous-chef
A sous-chef is a chef
A chef is a trained professional cook and tradesman who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term ''chef de cuisine'' (), the ...
. In 2008 Periplus Publishing Group released an English-language version of his Cambodian cookbook titled "Cambodian Cooking: A humanitarian project in collaboration with Act for Cambodia".
In 2010 when Rivière was planning to return to France he met
David Thompson who had eaten at the hotel Rivière was working at. Impressed by his use of lesser-known local ingredients Thompson encouraged Rivière to stay in Cambodia and open a restaurant of his own.
In 2011, together with his partner Carole Salmon, Rivière opened Cuisine Wat Damnak, taking its name from the nearby
Wat Damnak
Wat Domnak is a famous Buddhist pagoda and one of the teaching monasteries in the city of Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Etymology
The name of Wat Domnak commemorates the fact that this pagoda was a former residence (''Damnak'', in Khmer, ព្រះហ...
pagoda, serving Cambodian cuisine with a focus on lesser-known dishes. The restaurant changes its menu every two weeks to include the ingredients locally available at the moment. In 2015 Cuisine Wat Damnak was included in the 50th position of
Asia's 50 Best Restaurants, becoming the first Cambodian restaurant to make the list. In the 2016 list Cuisine Wat Damnak rose to the 43rd position.
In 2018 Rivière became business partners with Nguon Vengchhay and opened Cuisine Wat Damnak in the
Doun Penh Section of
Phnom Penh in March 2021.
Books
* Joannès Rivière, Dominique De Bourgknecht, David Lallemand (2005). La Cuisine du Cambodge avec les apprentis de Sala Baï.
Philippe Picquier Publishing
* Joannès Rivière, Dominique De Bourgknecht, David Lallemand (2008). Cambodian Cooking: A humanitarian project in collaboration with Act for Cambodia.
Periplus Editions
Tuttle Publishing, originally the Charles E. Tuttle Company, is a book publishing company that includes Tuttle, Periplus Editions, and Journey Editions. . .
References
External links
Day 2: Joannes Riviere12 June 2019. FoodForum
* Tan, Rachel (23 April 2019)
5 Questions with Joannès Rivière on New Cambodian Cuisine Michelin Guide
The Michelin Guides ( ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The Guide awards up to three Michelin stars for excellence to a select few establishments. The acquisition or loss of ...
* Rosemary Kimani (2017)
What Makes Cambodian Food Rich and Unique With Chef Joannès Rivière Authentic Food Quest
Joannes Riviere Cuisine Wat Damnak 17 May 2013. Good Food Revolution
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rivière, Joannès
French chefs
Living people
Cambodian cuisine
French cookbook writers
1979 births