Up, Close and Personal with Kimmy Tang

Kimmy Tang

Four and a half years ago, this talented chef opened her restaurant Michelia Bistro in Los Angeles. Since then, she has had a loyal following with her blend of Vietnamese and European cuisine. NAC took a closer look.

NAC: What influenced you to enter the world of food and cooking? “I started playing with my mother’s cooking utensils when I was seven, and have loved cooking from that time on. I feel I was born to be a cook! I followed my mother in her kitchen to learn how to prepare traditional Vietnamese dishes. From 1986 when I came to America, I worked in restaurants as a waitress and then became a supervisor. I did try to change my career once. I enrolled in a fashion design school and got a degree, but I realized I still had a passion for cooking. As soon as I heard of a good location for a restaurant, I knew I had to open Michelia and place my passion in the right track.” NAC: So, has your fashion designing degree influenced you? "Yes, I feel cooking is like an art. In addition to the taste, I find myself focusing on the dish’s presentation. So, I merge my knowledge of designing and my cooking flair in the best way I can. I also believe people should be able to enjoy the ambience of the restaurant along with its food. " << The bistro boasts of an exotic aura with handcrafted sconces, candle lit tables, and even a waterfall along the wall>>

NAC: What is special about Michelia Bistro? “Michelia is a Euro-Asia bistro and we serve very healthy food. I’d say Michelia’s motto is “To serve unique, clean, healthy and fresh food”. I go the market everyday to pick the freshest items. I also strictly avoid using cornstarch even for my stir-fried dishes, so they are very light. Michelia is right across Cedars-Sinai Medical center (in Los Angeles). We serve many health conscious doctors and nurses everyday!” NAC: How do you manage to bring up healthy dishes when you blend European cuisine to your Vietnamese ones? "Unlike European cuisines, I don’t use any cream in my cooking. My steaks are pan-fried with calona oil. Even for my pasta dish “Michelia fettuccine” I use mashed taro with wasabi instead of mashed potato, and I don’t add any butter."

NAC: What dishes do you recommend at Michelia Bistro? “At Michelia, I update the menu every 4 to 6 months, so there’s always a variety of dishes to try. Right now, I recommend Scallop Grand Marnier for an appetizer, Charcoal Pork Salad, Crispy Sole and Black Pepper Mignon. These dishes are very popular. Crispy Sole is a favorite of all my customers.” NAC: How popular do you think Vietnamese food is in the U.S? What would you recommend for good traditional Vietnamese dishes to try? “I feel a lot of people still don’t know much about Vietnamese food. It’s usually people who travel to Vietnam and find that the food is very healthy and then come back to the US and start going to Vietnamese restaurants. For a good traditional Vietnamese dish, I’d definitely recommend “Garlic Eggplant” from Michelia’s menu. Its texture is very unique. We grill the eggplants and peel all the skin to make it soft. We also fry grounded peanuts and shallots. This makes the dish very tasty with a crunch.”

NAC: We hear that you are coming up with a line of sauces called "Kimmy Tang”, when will they be available in the market? “These sauces are bottled by KTW (Kimmy Tang World-wide) and will come to the market next year. People can buy it through Michelia or its website for the time being. I have 7 different kinds of sauces - Black pepper sauce, Tamarind sauce, Basil sauce French spicy aioli, Asian BBQ sauce, Miso dressing, and Papaya chili sauce. I will soon be introducing 10 more sauces.” NAC: Why are you concentrating on sauces? I am planning on a number of projects and “making these sauces” is my first step. I decided to start off with sauces as customers loved my sauces. Many customers end up asking me for a small jar of sauce as they leave Michelia!!

NAC: What’s next for you? “I am writing a cookbook. It will have about 144 French and Vietnamese fusion recipes. All the recipes are simple and easy. I am also planning to open two more restaurants sometime next year, most probably in LA.”