About this Event
Tombolo Books with the generous support of Creative Pinellas and the Art Everywhere Festival is thrilled to present an evening exploring Lao food through 95 approachable, flavor-packed recipes from the popular food content creator behind Saeng’s Kitchen.
In Lao kitchens, every dish tells a story and every bite excites. The food culture of Laos has historically been preserved through oral tradition, and in this essential guide to Lao cooking, personal chef Saeng Douangdara draws on his expertise and the food knowledge passed down from his family to share the beauty and history of Lao cuisine.
Attendees will be treated to a full course dinner by Christy Innouvong-Thornton, owner of TukTuk Box, featuring recipies from The Lao Kitchen while Douangdara and Phillip Cheng chat about the food, the history, and the cuture featured in the book!
The event will take place at Nova 535 located at 535 Dr M.L.K. Jr St N, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.
Your ticket includes entry into the event, your meal, and one drink ticket.
The Lao Kitchen dives into the heart of Lao foodways—often overlooked but deeply rooted in Southeast Asian traditions. Through thoughtful essays and memories connected to each recipe, Saeng tells his story as a member of the Lao diaspora, exploring his roots through food. Bold, flavorful, deeply personal, and featuring gorgeous photography from Laos and Saeng’s own kitchen, The Lao Kitchen is a celebration of community, the connection that food brings, and what it means to cook from the heart.
Saeng Douangdara is a content creator and personal chef specializing in Lao cuisine. As a first-generation Lao American, food has always been central to his life. Saeng’s work has been featured in Delish, BuzzFeed, The New York Times, and the Los Angeles Times, and he is the winner of an episode of TBS's cooking show Rat in the Kitchen. A proud member of the Lao Food Movement, Saeng aims to inspire others to explore the delicious flavors of his culture.
Phillip Cheng is a PhD student in Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Florida, specializing in the history of education, where he also earned his undergraduate degrees. Born and raised in Lakeland, Florida, and the son of Sino-Cambodian refugees, his personal and community experiences shaped his interest in Asian American history and led him to pursue a master’s degree in Asian American Studies at San Francisco State University. His research focuses on uncovering, preserving, and sharing local and transnational histories of Asian and Asian American individuals and communities, with particular interests in education and schooling, migration and community formation, and genealogical research.
Event venue & nearby stays
NOVA 535, 535 Doctor Martin Luther King Junior Street North, St. Petersburg, United States
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