Innovation Week: Deth Khaia
It’s Innovation Week, and we are featuring the giants of Lao food innovation. To start us off, please meet Deth Khaia. Deth is based in D.C. and is a Fine Dining Consulting Chef. His career in food began after a neighbor enjoyed one of Deth’s meals and told him that he’d be crazy not to pursue a culinary career. Deth attended the Lao Food Retreat in 2020 and sits on the Lao Food Foundation advisory board.
Q: What does innovation of Lao cuisine mean to you? Why is it important?
The innovation of Lao cuisine means creating new Lao restaurants and food-related business concepts to ensure a robust and modern future of the Lao food industry. It’s important to honor and support traditional style restaurants and food businesses, but we must embrace experimentation and take risks to stay relevant, satisfy diverse and evolving tastes, and to keep the customers wanting more.
Q: What are a few Lao dishes, desserts, or beverages that you've worked to innovate?
ນ້ຳຫວານໝາກອຶ - pumpkin & tapioca dessert is a classic dessert. I re-create with more appeal to the eyes, but keeping the familiar taste.
ເຂົ້າປຽກເສັ້ນ - khao piak sen is a comfort food to lao people. I changed the taste of the soup, but the texture of the noodle was still familiar. Instead of chicken broth, I changed it to fish consomme with khao piak sen favor with squash ink. Comfort food with a new twist.
ເຫລົ້າດອງຢາ (lao Khao-white spirit) made it into old fashion cocktail serve with kaipan, riverweed
ເຂົ້າໝົມໂຄ໋ກ (khao num kok) is a sweet dessert, but I reimagine it as a savory appetizer top with lump crabmeat dressed in jeow som.
Q: How are young people influencing the future and direction of Lao cuisine?
Ethnic food is well celebrated nowadays. Lao food grows more familiar and popular every year with all the help from young Lao Americans using social media to share information, give attention and support to new Lao restaurants and to encourage more Lao Americans to start their own culinary businesses. It’s much easier these days for new restaurants to get attention and gain fans due to social media and map apps like Google and Apple, and it’s largely the young Lao Americans driving that trend.
Q: Who or what inspires your innovation?
Through my travels I’ve met many chefs across the U.S. and in different parts of the world where I've visited. These diverse and fascinating restaurants and culinary businesses have inspired me to innovate, take risks and never rest on my past successes. Even when it comes to the Lao dishes I’ve cooked all my life, I never stop learning and wanting to create my own variations.
Q: Where can people learn more about the work that you do?
You can follow me on Instagram @dethkhaia