INTERNATIONAL: The Kimsang Twins are world-renowned chefs also in their home country Cambodia. The twins with their assistant Chanty Seng travelled to Switzerland to cook for the Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and other distinguished delegates from across the world, for the gala event Cambodia night which was a part of the World Economic Forum.

The Duo had met while working together in a hotel where their friendship flourished and made names for themselves at Embassy Restaurant in Siem Reap. The first all-female staffed restaurant in Cambodia, Where, Chanti is the Head chef.

Sok Kimsang went to Sala bai hotel and restaurant school in Siem Reap.

Pol Kimsang went to Paul De Brule School in Siem Reap.

Where they gained their chef training. Both girls fell in love with cooking from their Mothers who were cooks in their village.

Their special talent as chefs has taken them around the world, and working beside Michelin chefs.

Both Sok and Pol with Assistant Chanti had the privilege recently to travel to Switzerland to cook for the Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, and other distinguished delegates from across the world, for the gala event Cambodia night. Eacnews was able to interview the girls at Sombok restaurant in Phnom Penh one of the restaurants they run.

Q. How do you feel about cooking for the Cambodia night and the Prime Minster of Cambodia?

A. “We feel exciting that we have a chance to make the food for our Prime Minister Hun Sen Yeah, and the high person and the pm from the other country we have a chance to make the food for them to try to show the world to show the Khmer food to the world, we are very happy and so impressed like”.

“Yeah, present our Cambodian food to the world. Because in the event, we have a different country to join in Asia and in Europe. So they we have changed to present our food to the tourist to taste our food we are so happy”.

Q. Did you have a theme for the Cambodia Night?

A. “Well, it's all the present, Cambodian food even some we brought the ingredients from Cambodia to those to make our Khmer food Indeed because we will was thinking indeed we could not find this one, this one the same. That we will have in Cambodia”.

“It’s the unique one you cannot find in Europe so we brought it. To make our food to be the same flavor”.

 “Not the same taste, that’s why the main ingredient is very important, so we select the main ingredient to bring to Davos”.

Q. Everyone calls you twins are you twins?

A. “No actually we are the twin names we name the same name but we are not related. And we just a friend and we meet up each other in one hotel and then work together, for nearly 20 years together”.

 “Me I born in Kampot and she born in Siem Reap so it's different place”.

Q. Do you have a signature dish?

A. “For us we have for me my signature this I do a green korko soup it’s our signature dish and it’s this soup is like nobody have in Asia is a signature this of Cambodia. Yeah. Also like green mixed up in the very green leaf inside the soup”.

“The countryside yeah every time mum she makes this soup I have to pick up vegetable around the house and then pick it up and how to cut lemongrass and make it take long and then need to take the skin off coconut you know the coconut cut it and make it after take the coconut cream it take like half morning to prepare this but it is good”.

Q. What is your future dream?

A. “For the future we would like we would like to have one restaurant in one country at least. for example, like the main main country’s like like France, in Japan in New York, maybe like Australia to let them know the fine dining, Khmer food I think you already have a Cambodian in some countries but not really like Khmer traditional”.

 “It’s more like Asian They mix up with Chinese, or Thai”

Q. Your restaurants are all-female staff?

A. “Yes. Female power, so the concept is like that like we would like to open the restaurant to present our food, like homestyle so homestyle cooking is a woman who made Cambodia who cooked the food for the family”.

“The woman they have small thing they cook from the heart from the heart and the small see our the small fine food”.

Q. Do you hope to be Michelin chefs one day?

A. “Oh I wish to have Michelin star in Cambodia like we would get, here at the Embassy every guest they come to eat they give us a star already”.

Q. You think in cooking what is the most important? The ingredients or the cooking or is it art?

A. “Important is the ingredient and then it art, after when you have good ingredient you can create anything around the product”

Q. They say we eat with our eyes before we eat with our mouth?

A. “It’s true this one if the food one this is really really good, but look ugly you feel not, you don’t want to eat as well but it's the food look nice nice presentation. Well, decoration and then you feel like wow. After you taste if the taste good perfect already, you have to go through two ways the same”.

Congratulations on your career and having the chance for cooking on the Cambodia night for the Prime minister of Cambodia Hun Sen. I wish you all the best for future and the success for Embassy and Sombok restaurants.

Pol and Sok Kimsang known as The Kimsang Twins with their assistant Chanty traveled to Davos Switzerland, to show their talents as Top Khmer chefs, cooking Khmer food for their Prime Minster Hun Sen and delegates from around the world. Eacnews thanks the Kimsang Twins for giving us the opportunity for the interview.