The Chamily Dinner, a holiday family-style dinner by Executive Chef Peter Cham raised funds for No Kid Hungry and was a delicious evening where talented Executive Chef Peter Cham of Finch & Fork prepared and presented an authentic Cambodian Dinner at the Kimpton Canary Hotel that attracted an enthusiastic crowd of foodie locals, including Chef Peter Cham’s mother and father to support No Kid Hungry.


Chef Cham and his parents 


The plates included banh chao – rice flour crepe with shrimp, tumeric and spouts; sach ko akak – New York strip skewer with green papaya salad and toasted peanut; sach krok – pork sausage with sticky rie and bird’s eye chili; prahok ktiss – spicy pork belly dip with crisp vegetable crudite and herbs; nom banh hok – rice vermicelli with jidori chicken, red curry, cabbage and long beans; trey aung – grilled sea bass with hydroponic lettuce, fish sauce and diakon radish.


Nom Banh Chok 


The dinner began with a delicious Cambodian Gin and tonic and a fine selection of wines were paired with the various dishes including Gaston Chiquet Brut Rose Champagne, Sanford Rose of Pinot Noir, Claiborne & Churchill Dry Riesling, Notary Public Chenin Blanc, Pence PTG Gamay – Pinot Noir and Storm Duvarita Vyd Pinot Noir. The sweetest ending was to this congenial dinner was jake ktiss – tapioca pudding with banana, coconut cream and toasted sesame served with a Thai style coffee.


Wines paired with Cambodian dinner


Many guests also brought gift-wrapped holiday gifts for children. The family style dinner was so much fun and beyond delicious! Peter and his staff at Finch & Fork did an amazing job providing this charming and charitable visit to Cambodia dinner. It was truly a lovely holiday experience and guests were asking Chef Cham to do it again soon.
Finch & Fork Corner Grill CocktailsKimpton Canary Hotel31 West Carrillo Street, Santa Barbara CA, 93101 
Reservations: (877) 468-3515 
Direct: (805) 884-0300

By Bonnie Carroll 


Note:Bonnie Carroll has been contributing to Food & Beverage International (FBworld.com) for over seventeen years, she is publisher & editor-in-chief of Bonnie Carroll’s Life Bites News monthly online travel/lifestyle magazine (www.lifebitesews.com), a contributor to various national and international publications, reports on food, travel & lifestyle on radio and TV. She can be contacted at writebc@aol.com