I was born in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. My family immigrated to the United States when I was five years old, and I grew up in Florida. I was the oldest sibling, so I was expected to cook and help my mother in the kitchen from a very young age. I remember feeling upset when I saw my sister going outside to play, but today I can see how those experiences were the catalyst for my life and work in food. I’ve opened four coffeeshops and a Southeast Asian restaurant in Brooklyn. Food is my art and my love language; it’s my medium for healing and connecting to others. I cook because it’s a reminder of home.

To me, amok is the dish of Cambodia, what I eat the most of when I’m there. It’s a special meal, usually reserved for eating out and special occasions. The gentle steaming gives it a light richness, like a soufflé. Some variations have more sauce or eggs, others might be drier — I like to keep things somewhere in the middle. Khmer cuisine shows influences from its neighbors, Thailand and Vietnam, as well as the large population of Chinese immigrants in the country. Amok’s unique flavor comes from the kroeung, the special curry paste. It’s the base of many Cambodian dishes, from soups to grilled meats, and every Cambodian mother has their own recipe. It’s possible to use canned paste, but making it from scratch is totally worthwhile: use a mortar and pestle to draw out the full fragrance of the aromatics.

RAINBOW (LINDA) THACH is the founder of the cafes Little Skips East and Little Skips South, and the Southeast Asian restaurant Little Mo in Brooklyn. Thach started the first Little Skips in 2009 as a community hub for local artists, musicians and nomads, a space for self-expression and individuality centered around ethically sourced coffee and playful food. A long-time member of the Specialty Coffee Association, she recently launched Little Skips’s fair-trade-certified special Winter Blend, with notes of chocolate-covered blueberries, cinnamon, vanilla, and toffee nut. In 2022, she completed a Permaculture Design Certificate and herbalism training in Guatemala, and is currently working on a new line of adaptogenic, mushroom-based beverages and blends.