Death in Cambodia, Life in America

In this episode of Death in Cambodia, Life in America, I sit down with Chef Nite Yun, the visionary behind the beloved Oakland restaurant Nyum Bai, author of the new cookbook My Cambodia, and one of the stars of Netflix’s Chef’s Table: Noodles. Her episode introduced millions to the richness of Khmer cuisine, but behind the camera, Chef Nite’s story is one of identity, intergenerational trauma, and healing through food. Born to Cambodian refugee parents and raised in Stockton, California, Che...

In this episode of Death in Cambodia, Life in America, I speak with Li-Da Kruger, a Cambodian-born British filmmaker and adoptee, whose search for identity has shaped the course of her life. Adopted as a baby just before the Khmer Rouge came to power, Li-Da was raised in the UK with little connection to her roots. For decades, she carried the weight of survival, guilt, and longing for a culture that felt both hers and not hers. We talk about the emotional complexities of growing up as an adop...

This week on the Death in Cambodia, Life in America Podcast, I sit down with James Taing, founder of the Preah Vihear Foundation, author of Under the Naga Tail, and director of the short documentary Ghost Mountain. James shares the deeply personal story of his father, who survived the Khmer Rouge only to face a second, lesser-known atrocity: being forced back across the Thai-Cambodian border into a minefield enduring a trauma shared by more than 45,000 refugees seeking safety in 1979. We disc...

Episode Description In the latest episode of the Death in Cambodia, Life in America Podcast, I had the honor of sitting down with Chef Ros Rotanak (better known as Chef Nak) Cambodia’s leading culinary ambassador and the author of the award-winning cookbook SAOI. From her earliest memories of cooking out of necessity to her rise as a global advocate for Khmer food, Chef Nak’s journey is one of resilience, purpose, and passion. In this interview, she opens up about the emotional weight of her ...

In this episode of Death in Cambodia, Life in America, I sit down with Amara Goel, a Cambodian American performing artist, and policy analyst whose journey spans refugee camps, international stages, and global policy work. Amara shares her experiences growing up as a 1.5 generation immigrant and how her identity has been shaped by a life lived across countries and cultures. We explore her deep connection to Cambodian history and how the lack of education around the Khmer Rouge in the U.S. fue...