ON THURSDAY, French dairy brand President hosted two international chefs, Angela Brown from Raffles in Siem Reap and Olivier Guillon from La Pergola at Plantation in Phnom Penh to showcases their cooking techniques both in royal Khmer cuisine and Western fine dining. President dairy products (milk, cream, butter and cheese) are made in France, and are imported and distributed by LSH Cambodia. In Cambodia, President focuses on transmitting cooking skills and ideas to young Khmer chefs. Through the chefs’ dinner, President showcased ways to mix dairy with local gems, such as Chef Olivier’s take on local ingredients and recipes, such as Takeo river lobster mixed with Western ingredients, and Chef Angela’s Khmer favourite, beef loklak, interpreted as loklak spiced tajima.

The evening is made possible with the support of Restaurant Le Grand at Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor and President. Restaurant Le Grand showcases Royal Khmer cuisine and Western fine dining. The ancient Royal Khmer cuisine has been handed down over centuries by the chefs of the Royal Palace. The finest ingredients are carefully blended to create a distinct, exhilarating and elegant gastronomic experience.

In addition to haute cuisine events like this, President also sponsors a local Hospitality & Pastry School with free ingredients to train their students through workshops with international chefs. Since 2017, President has sponsored both SalaBai and Bayon Pastry School as well as two NGOs based in Siem Reap. Photos by Hong Menea and Regis Binard