My seventh interview was a phone interview with the extremely talented Chef Peng Looi of Asiatique on Bardstown Road. Chef Peng Looi was born in Malaysia and was trained to cook by his Mom and sisters, Chef Looi is Malaysian with Chinese Ethnicity. Malaysia is a fusion country and consists of many different cultures and ethnicities like Maylay, Chinese, British, Indian, and many more. Chef Looi tells me that his favorite cuisine to eat, and his comfort food is Malaysian cuisine. Chef Looi's Great Grandpa came from China to Malaysia a long time ago and through his coming, Looi's family lived in Malaysia.
Through his family and his Malaysian environment while growing up, Chef Looi grew up surrounded by and exposed to many different cuisines. He first became interested in cuisine when he was a kid and always enjoyed cooking, he would help his mom slice and dice vegetables, and because his mom is Buddhist, she never did slaughtering of animals for meals, so Looi would always do it. Chef Looi has been chef at Asiatique for 28 years now in Louisville and recalls: "Food is a part of culture, I've been all over the world to look for food and I can say there is no bad food, in instances only bad chefs making the food. Food is fun."
I have a few recipes of Chef Looi that I will include in my cookbook.
Photo by Adam Kiefaber