WORD OF MOUTH with Leiti Hsu

Episode 11 Aired: Tuesday, November 5th 2013

Soulayphet "Phet" Schwader

Welcome to WORD OF MOUTH with Leiti Hsu on HeritageRadioNetwork.org! Leiti Hsu, a fixture in NYC dining culture, is joined by Soulayphet ("Phet") Schwader, Chef/Owner of Khe-Yo, the Laotian restaurant he runs with partners Iron Chef winner Marc Forgione and GM Nick Bradley. They talk about how Khe-Yo came to be with Marc and Nick, old friends and former roommates. Also, they begin a dialogue on how major food media today portrays ethnic food. Also, his journey from war-torn Laos to Kansas and how his mom Soubanh inspires his food and his life.

At the top of the show, Leiti heads to the Greenmarket with Chef Kyle Knall of Maysville. They #WINEedDOWN with legendary British wine writer Stuart Pigott. Tweet at #WOMshow @leitihsu.
This program has been sponsored by the International Culinary Center.

I was sitting at Marc [Forgione]'s restaurant, just hanging out, unemployed not knowing what I wanted to do with my career...what's my next step? Can I go be a chef for somebody else, and we both looked at each other and we're like let's just open something up." [18:03]

"The funny thing is that I've lived in NYC off and on for over 12-13 years, and I've never met a Laotian until I opened up this restaurant."

"I don't want them to take offense at this, but maybe if I were Caucasian, it'd be more interesting what I'm doing, but at the same time, this is what I grew up with.

-- Chef Phet Schwader on Word of Mouth with Leiti Hsu

Subscribe

From the Show

Tags

Sponsors

Sponsored by

Latest Episodes

An Accountant, a Fashion Model and a Chef Walk into a Bar

Episode 84, Aired: December 16, 2015

Chef Carla Hall, entrepreneur, star of The Chew on ABC, who's about to open her hot chicken restaurant Southern Kitchen in NYC. How this accountant-turned-model-turned lunch caterer ended up on TV. Why she found herself in tears on her knees in the shower at age 40, plus hamburgers, high school and...

Steven Satterfield

Episode 83, Aired: December 9, 2015

WORD OF MOUTH is live from across the Atlantic this week as Leiti is on the line from Berlin chatting with Erin Fairbanks in studio with Steven Satterfield of Miller Union in Atlanta and author of Root to Leaf. Steven believes in making the most out of the edible parts of the plant, from root to...

Kisses, Roadtrips, Fundraising Tips (Bo Bech, Geist)

Episode 82, Aired: December 2, 2015

We catch up with chef-partner Bo Bech of Geist in Copenhagen at Charlie Bird in NYC one weekend afternoon, November 2015. He's recently landed into town to start a restaurant here. But first, he'll host a popup series called The Bride of the Fox that will happen on a boat, in a firehouse, onstage at...

Mortality, Petanque, & Paris in the 1950s

Episode 81, Aired: November 25, 2015

This week on WORD OF MOUTH, Leiti visits celebrity chef, author and Dean, Jacques Pepin at the International Culinary Center. Beloved as Julia Child’s TV counterpart and a game-changer in American cuisine—and French food in America, we get to know this son of a cabinetmaker and a cook. We’ll talk...

Bongos with Matthew McConaughey, Manchester, the American South

Episode 80, Aired: November 18, 2015

This week on WORD OF MOUTH host Leiti Hsu kicks off thew show on the line with Jenna Zimmerman, TV producer and James Beard Awards judge. Talking about how she landed her dream job plus career highlights like playing bongos with Matthew McConaughey, she also forecasts the future of food media. After...

Ellen Yin (Fork, High Street on Market, High Street on Hudson)

Episode 79, Aired: November 11, 2015

Award-winning Philly restaurateur Ellen Yin behind Fork and High Street on Market. Now, she’s about to open High Street on Hudson, their first non-Philly foray; we’ll get a preview of the much-anticipated opening. And we'll get to know Ellen the rebellious Asian kid and learn how how landed in...

Related Editorial