Hawker Fare: Stories & Recipes from a Refugee Chef's Isan Thai & Lao Roots

Hawker Fare documents the cooking of James Syhabout, chef of the popular Hawker Fare restaurant in San Francisco. Born to a mother from Isan, Thailand's northeast region, and a father from Pakse, Laos, Syhabout and his family arrived in Oakland in 1981 as refugees from the Vietnam War. After training as a classically trained chef in Europe and opening Commis, a fine dining restaurant in Oakland, Syhabout returned to the food of his childhood, inspired by the open-air hawker markets of Thailand and Laos. The cookbook interweaves stories from Syhabout's career—from his mother's work as a line cook in Oakland to his travels as an adult in his parents' homelands. It covers building a pantry with sauces and oils, preparing staples like sticky rice and padaek, and recipes ranging from instant ramen noodles with poached egg to home-style Thai and Lao dishes. The book explores Syhabout's approach to ingredients, family, and eating well, presenting a vision of food-making in America informed by Thai, Lao, and California traditions.