Unlike most celebrated chefs, Pichet Ong is as irresistible and adorable as his creations.
Instead of coming off as an insane, self-aggrandizing artiste with a personality disorder, in interviews Pichet Ong always appears to be genuinely humble, grounded and happy. An architect-in-training (Berkeley) turned pastry chef (self-taught), he quickly won over New Yorkers’ hearts, minds and stomachs with his iconic restaurants, P*ONG and Village Tart.
Lately though, very little has been heard from Pichet–he’s been busy working on book projects and his quirky food/music/life blog. For those of us who’ve been missing his effervescent presence in the deadly serious food world, it looks like he may be heading back into the limelight.
He’s teaming up with Michael Bao on the just-opened Baotique, a modern Vietnamese sit-down restaurant in Midtown Manhattan of all places. Pichet is just consulting, but his whimsical, deft, spot-on hand can be seen in the menu, which will actually offer Spam. (These men are fearless in their devotion to pork products!)
And if you don’t already harbor a secret crush on Pichet, check out the interview below. Pichet talks about the importance of mentorship and community strength, and explains why he’s involved in dot429, a multi-platform networking group connecting LGBT professionals and allies.
TOPICS: Eat to the Beat, Kathleen Willcox