Edible flowers sold at the daily market. One of the restaurants we visited, Mie Cafe, used them to color tea. (Photo courtesy of Amanda McInery of Lambs Ears & Honey blog.)
I’m just back from a Cambodia workshop on culinary storytelling through photography and food writing. I’m still pinching myself over this fantastic opportunity. And in all honesty, I’m still getting over jet lag.
Travelling to a workshop is a fun way to amp up your skills. You get out of your usual routine, and immerse yourself in a local food culture. Here’s a look at what we did in Siem Reap, gateway to Cambodia’s historic temples. I’m hoping it will tempt you to join me in the future.
What We Taught
Students came to Siem Reap from Australia, Malaysia, China, Indonesia, and the US. My hosts were food photographer Dave Hagerman, and food and travel writer Robyn Eckhart of Eating Asia.
In my part of the Cambodia workshop, I taught story techniques used by award-winning food writers, with marked-up handouts. I also discussed trends in cookbooks, food blogs, and freelance writing.
Workshop attendees and teachers at the Cambodian home of Steven Halcrow and Lina Goldberg of Siem Reap Food Tours, about to enjoy a rooftop meal of traditional Cambodian food. (Photo courtesy of Angel Latterell of Travels with Paprika Angel)
Dave led a session on how to conceive, execute and edit a compelling culinary photo essay. He walked students around markets and farms, helped them identify great shots and frame them, and held a photo shoot of styled dishes. (See his tips on how to shoot markets here.)
Robyn explained how she approaches food stories when travelling. A voracious explorer and researcher, her insider tips included how to prepare, dealing with language barriers, and finding local experts.
Three others provided on-the-ground expertise and enthusiasm. Chef Steven Halcrow and writer Lina Goldberg of Siem Reap Food Tours, live in Siem Reap and speak Kmer. They hosted us for dinner at their Cambodian two-storey home, a thrilling way to not feel like a tourist for a moment. Swiss-trained chef Pola Siv demonstrated several dishes at his upscale restaurant, Mie Cafe.
One of many Cambodian dishes Chef Pola of Mie Cafe demonstrated during a cooking class and demo at his restaurant. (Photo courtesy of Mabs Potter.)
A Fun Five Days
Our Cambodia workshop mixed instruction, adventure, shooting photos, and eating well — a food bloggers dream, right? There was time to swim in the hotel pool, join a happy hour at the bar, and explore the town.
Guides Steve and Lina took us to a busy breakfast cafe, where cooks dished up a tasty noodle soup with meatballs. (Photo courtesy of Maggie Zhu of Omnivore’s Cookbook blog.)
And the Food!
Our meals ranged from a flavorful fish soup at a roadside stand to a grand meal at the acclaimed Cuisine Wat Damnak restaurant.What I loved most was the fresh herbs, galangal and turmeric for flavorings; coconut milk for richness; and the tropical fruits. If you don’t know much about Cambodian food, see this piece Robyn wrote for The New York Times, with photos by Dave. Also see 13 Cambodian Dishes You Should Know.
The daughter of duck soup restauranteurs hugs her new dog. (Photo courtesy of Taia Stewart.)
Siem Reap is the gateway to Agkor Wat and many other temples. After class, I visited four spectacular temples with my husband and food and travel writer Amanda McInery. See her post on Siem Reap. More posts from students:
- Angel Latterell wrote about Cambodia on her blog, Travels with Paprika Angel.
- Maggie Zhu recreated the hot coconut waffles we tasted at the Psar Chaa market.
- Amanda Niode wrote about Cambodian eateries.
After class I travelled through Vietnam with my husband, to Hue, Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh City. It’s the first time I’ve been away for three weeks. But Facebook, Twitter and email made it easier than ever.
I hope you join me at another amazing workshop. (This is my second with Robyn and Dave. Last fall we taught in Alacati, Turkey.) Sign up for my newsletter to be notified.
Vendors prepare a profusion of produce at the Psar Chaa market. (Photo courtesy of Su Ling Ung.)
Greetings from Indonesia.
It’s such a delightful workshop Dianne. I look forward to more events where you will speak.
Thank you for linking our blog post to yours.
Amanda, what a pleasure to meet you there. Congratulations again on winning a Gourmand World Cookbook Award. I hope our paths will cross again.
What great timing! I am planning to go in October for a few weeks, would love to know what your favorite highlights of the trip were.
Sally, please go to the restaurants mentioned and take the culinary trip from Steve and Lina. You won’t believe the Praa Tom market — what great photo opps await you. And read Robyn’s story in the NY Times about what to do. We covered a lot of ground from it.
Thanks for sharing. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten Cambodian food. Time to try a new recipe!
Me too. I forgot to bring home a Cambodian cookbook so I am going to look for one.
Congratulations! Looks like it was a wonderful, productive session. I was in Asia about the same time. I wish I could have joined you, Robyn and Dave. Here’s to more international writing and photography workshops for you. Hope I can attend one in the future.
Thanks Betty, it would have been fun to have you. It was a LONG trip from California but such a pleasure to get to that part of the world and spend time with such accomplished students.
Wow. Thanks to your mouth-watering descriptions I almost feel like I was there. Sounds amazing. Also enjoyed meeting Dave and Robyn from your links. What an accomplished and inspiring couple.
Thanks Anna. Dave and Robyn are terrific, both cerebral, funny and hard-working. There’s lots to read online. It’s been a pleasure to work with them.
I cannot believe the workshop just happened a few weeks ago. After coming back to “real life”, now everything seems so surreal and like a dream! I’m enjoy reading the now, to review all the events back then and the amazing people I met:)
Um, maybe that’s the jet lag talking? Well, maybe not, as you have been home longer than I. It was a fabulous event! So pleased to have time with you there and I enjoyed how engaged you were during the sessions. Re the people there, yes, it’s always a fabulous crowd — people you don’t necessarily get to meet otherwise.
It was a wonderful experience – largely because of the effort put in by yourself and Robyn and David. We couldn’t have better teachers!
Thanks for sharing my photo – I’m quite proud of that one.
It was great to be able to spend some time together – I look forward to doing that again early next year. See you San Fran!
Thank you. Most of the credit goes to Robyn.
The flowers made for a gorgeous shot. I loved Dave’s photo too on Instagram.
It was great to spend time with you, Amanda. I’m so glad we cooked up a few reasons to see each other again soon!
Looks like a phenomenal trip Dianne. After writing for awhile, a workshop on culinary storytelling through photography sounds like a nice refresher. So many classes and workshops are aimed at those who are new and just starting. Nice (and needed) for others to get a fresh breath and inspiration. Love the photos. They speak volumes. What an adventure! Plan to check out the links of your lucky attendees. More and more I am trying to figure out how to tell story and share a post from our travels. I think it takes a mindset going into the trip, a focus, to capture the right images. I ned to try to harness the power of our 3 weeks in New Zealand. Loved the post!
Thank you Sally. We did have a grand advanture, and fun, and I hope people acquired a deeper understanding of culinary storytelling through photography and writing.
I hope you find an outlet for your New Zealand adventures. Maybe freelance a travel story in your copious free time?
After hearing about Maggie’s experience, I am signing up for your newsletters. I truly want to experience this magic. A great post, Diane! I’m hungrier than ever to participate!
Well that’s fantastic, Robyn. I can’t wait to announce what’s coming up! Thank you for signing up.
Thanks for the link love!