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Luu Meng ( km, លូ ម៉េង; born on 7 February 1974) is a
Chinese Cambodian Chinese Cambodians (or Sino-Khmers) are Cambodian citizens of Chinese ancestry or Chinese of full or partial Khmer ancestry. The Khmer term ''Khmer Kat Chen'' () is used for people of mixed Chinese and Khmer descent; ''Chen Khmer'' () means Camb ...
chef, culinary author and
hospitality Hospitality is the relationship between a guest and a host, wherein the host receives the guest with some amount of goodwill, including the reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers. Louis, chevalier de Jaucourt describes ...
entrepreneur. He is the CEO of Almond Group, director of Thalias Group, president of the Cambodia Tourism Federation, president of Cambodian Hotel Association, president of Cambodia Chef Federation, vice president of ASEAN Hotel Association and Cuisine Advisor of the
Confrérie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs La Confrérie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs () is an international gastronomy, gastronomic society founded in Paris in 1950. The Chaîne is based on the traditions and practices of the old French Royal Guild of Goose Roasters, whose authority gra ...
.


Biography

Luu Meng was born in 1974 in Phnom Penh,
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 ...
. At the age of three his family was forced to relocate to a U.N. operated refugee camp in
Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
where Meng grew up as the oldest of three. His family survived the Khmer Rouge period by following Meng's grandfather's advice to stay near the water. His grandfather had previously fled
Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; also romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC) ...
's regime in China and settled in Phnom Penh with his family, where he had sold clocks and watches at the
Central Market Central Market may refer to: *Central Market, a 2009 album by Tyondai Braxton Fresh food markets * Adelaide Central Market, Australia * Cardiff Central Market, Wales *Central Market, Hong Kong * Central Market, Casablanca, Morocco * Riga Central ...
. Meng's mother Diep Cheang had run a famous '' banh chao'' shop on Sothearos Boulevard and his grandmother worked as a
cook Cook or The Cook may refer to: Food preparation * Cooking, the preparation of food * Cook (domestic worker), a household staff member who prepares food * Cook (professional), an individual who prepares food for consumption in the food industry * ...
in the Royal Palace kitchens and operated a restaurant before the Khmer Rouge. In the early 1980s, when Meng was eight years old, his family returned to Phnom Penh and purchased a house near Orussey Market. Meng attended the Chinese Tong Hoa School. In 1993 he started working at the Sofitel Cambodiana as a trainee cook, becoming a
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 1995. At Cambodiana Meng met his future business partner Arnaud Darc who worked there as a cost controller. Later Meng worked as an
executive chef A chef de cuisine (, French for ''head of kitchen'') or head chef is a chef that leads Lead is a chemical element with symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead or The Lead may also refer to: Animal handling * Leash, or lead * Lead (leg), ...
for the Sunway Hotel. In 2001 he worked for Sofitel in Siem Reap for a year and then returned to Siem Reap, where Meng worked with Darc's restaurant "Topaz". In 2004 together with Darc he opened " Malis", the first Cambodian
fine dining Fine may refer to: Characters * Sylvia Fine (''The Nanny''), Fran's mother on ''The Nanny'' * Officer Fine, a character in ''Tales from the Crypt'', played by Vincent Spano Legal terms * Fine (penalty), money to be paid as punishment for an of ...
restaurant in Phnom Penh. To design the restaurant's menu Meng travelled throughout
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 ...
for six months and collected traditional recipes, which he presented using farm-sourced ingredients and modern cooking techniques. On 8 August 2008 after two years of construction Meng opened the flagship Almond Hotel. The following year he opened the Yi Sang Chinese Restaurant at the Phnom Penh Special Economic Zone and in 2011 another Yi Sang Restaurant at Château on Phnom Penh's riverside. 2012 saw the publishing of the book "Cambodia’s Top Tables" co-written by Luu Meng and Siem Reap-based British food writer and journalist Clive Graham-Ranger featuring recipes from 52 restaurants in Cambodia. The same year Luu Meng was awarded the
Order of Agricultural Merit The Order of Agricultural Merit (french: link=no, Ordre du Mérite agricole) is an order of merit bestowed by the French Republic for outstanding contributions to agriculture. When it was created in 1883, it was second in importance only to the ...
by the French government for "his creation of Cambodian nouvelle cuisine and building a bridge to other culinary cultures". In 2014 Meng received Asia's Top Chef award from the Malaysia-based business and lifestyle magazines "Top 10 of Malaysia" and "Top 10 of Asia". In 2016 he published the cookbook "Cambodia Sevensea's", which Meng wrote together with culinary writer Darren Gall, with Cambodian coastal recipes from
Kampot Kampot may refer to: *Kampot (city), a city in southern Cambodia *Kampot, an alternative spelling of the Slavic drink Kompot *Kampot Province, province of Cambodia * Kampot Municipality, a municipality in Cambodia * Kampot Airport, an airport in Ca ...
, Kep, Sihanoukville and the islands. In May 2021 Meng and other private donors partnered with Princess
Norodom Arunrasmy Norodom Arunrasmy ( km, នរោត្តម អរុណរស្មី; born 2 October 1955) is a Cambodian princess, politician, and diplomat. She is the youngest daughter of Norodom Sihanouk, HM King Father Norodom Sihanouk and stepdaughte ...
's Muditha Foundation to provide food hampers to people in areas most affected by the
COVID-19 pandemic in Cambodia The COVID-19 pandemic in Cambodia is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). The first imported case in Cambodia was detected in Sihanoukville o ...
.


Books

* Darren Gall, Luu Meng (2016). Cambodia Sevensea's. Sorse Hospitality * Clive Graham-Ranger, Luu Meng (2012). Cambodia's Top Tables.


References


External links


Luu Meng's personal website

Luu Meng's YouTube channel

Luu Meng, Malis, Siem Reap
Savour BlackBookAsia
The Most Famous Chef in Cambodia
. 29 June 2020. Frame Cambodia {{DEFAULTSORT:Luu, Meng 1974 births Cambodian people of Chinese descent Cambodian chefs Living people Cambodian cookbook writers Cambodian businesspeople Officers of the Order of Agricultural Merit