From Top Chef To The Top Deck: Chef Chanthy Yen Sets Sail On A Culinary Journey

Fresh off his Top Chef Canada 2024 win, Chef Chanthy Yen is cooking up something extraordinary—this time, aboard a luxury cruise ship. In celebration of Asian Heritage Month, the Cambodian-Canadian chef is sharing how food, family, and identity intersect in his newest venture: a 7-night Emerald Cruises journey along the Mekong River. Set for October 2026, the immersive voyage from Vietnam to Cambodia will feature modern Cambodian dishes, hands-on experiences, and stories rooted in Chanthy’s heritage. We caught up with the chef to talk about redefining tradition, honouring the past, and what it means to return to the river that shaped generations. —Noa Nichol

This Mekong River cruise is such a unique and meaningful project—what does it personally mean to you to guide guests through Cambodia and Vietnam, both culturally and culinarily?

This Mekong River cruise is such a meaningful opportunity to me as it will allow me to share with Canadians a glimpse of the country and culture that my family comes from, the country that I continue to fall in love with every time I visit.

Cambodian cuisine is still underrepresented on the global stage. How are you working to change that, both in Canada and internationally?

Cambodian cuisine is still underrepresented internationally, and I’m working to change that by showcasing it through competitions, workshops, courses and on social media. My goal is to continue to highlight every ingredient that makes Cambodian cuisine so special, and I’m doing that one year at a time!

Can you describe the moment you realized food could be your way of preserving and sharing your Cambodian heritage?

The moment I realized that I could help be a part of the movement to preserve Cambodian heritage was when I started the Touk pop-up in Montreal, Quebec, in 2020. During one service, when we had a curry special, a guest was moved to tears, saying that his mother used to make it very similarly and he wished that he could go back in time to share that experience with her once more. That was the moment that all my grandmother’s teachings really paid off. Additionally, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to go back to Cambodia and be featured as a guest chef at the Raffles Hotels, working with local chefs, showcasing indigenous ingredients. It was a truly full circle experience. I first learned to cook from my grandmother, whose generation passed down their knowledge to many like me. Returning to Cambodia and collaborating with chefs of my own generation was an incredibly meaningful experience, learning what their families taught them, something that I deeply valued and hope to relive again soon.

You’ve said before that storytelling is a key ingredient in your cooking. What stories are you most excited to share with guests during this Emerald Cruises experience?

During my hosted Emerald Cruise along the Mekong River, I look forward to sharing the rich stories behind each dish—the history, cultural significance, and the evolution of Cambodian cuisine over time. So many Cambodian dishes tell a story of place. Where they are from, the unique identities of different regions of the country, and the highlighting of ingredients special to those places. I’m equally excited to highlight how the cuisine has modernized, while offering insights from my personal journey!”

As the 2024 Top Chef Canada winner, how has your platform allowed you to elevate Southeast Asian cuisine in new and exciting ways?

Being the Top Chef Canada winner has allowed me to spotlight Cambodian cuisine nationally and showcase the beautiful flavours and textures from a different approach, supplementing tradition with what I have learned through my diverse experiences around the world. During the finale dinner, I truly embraced my cultural roots and heritage, while ensuring that I put my own individual stamp on every dish. Embracing my identity allowed me to shine through and take home the championship. Overall, Top Chef Canada has opened so many doors for me, and I’m very appreciative of that. I want to make sure that I do not waste this opportunity!

The Mekong River holds such deep cultural and historical significance. How will this journey help guests connect more meaningfully with the region—and its food?

The Mekong River serves as the lifeblood of both Cambodian and Vietnamese cuisines, constantly inspiring new dishes while showcasing the food’s rich history that spans from the 1800s to ancient times.

For Asian Heritage Month, are there any specific Cambodian dishes you’re highlighting that hold special meaning for you or your family?

For Asian Heritage Month, the dish with a special place in my heart is Nom Ban Chok. It’s one of Cambodia’s national dishes, highlighting our green kroeung, which is a yellow curry paste. I serve it with rhizomes, which offer an earthy balance to the curry paste, and fermented rice noodles. It’s also usually served with pounded mudfish, often found in the Mekong River. I like to offer it with chicken as well so it’s more accessible. Overall, it serves as a great introduction to Cambodian cuisine here in Canada. The dish itself directly translates to “feeding noodle” but if you look at the history, it actually means “feeding myself.” So, it’s a dish that anyone can make in their household to feed themselves and sustain themselves for a better future, which is so special.

You’ve modernized Cambodian recipes in beautiful, unexpected ways. How do you strike a balance between innovation and tradition in your cooking?

Whenever I create a dish that is inspired by my cuisine, I always think of my grandmother. This allows me to leverage the experience that I’ve gained over the years, but still stay true to the heart and the love of my cuisine. Throughout my process, I ensure that I’m respecting the history and story of every single ingredient. For me, the balance exists within those two realms of tradition and modernity. Today, so many ingredients have become accessible, but during my grandmother’s generation, things were sort of scarce, and they had to get creative. I’m using this to my advantage and try to find that balance as intentionally as possible when putting modern takes on Cambodian cuisine.

What are a few must-try ingredients or flavours that define Cambodian cuisine for you—and how do you plan to showcase them onboard?

Some must-try dishes that people should try on-board includes Nom Ban Chok, which I mentioned earlier, the Num Krouk (sandwiches), along with our curry dishes, Behimi (beef jerky), fermented pork, the list goes on and on! Southeast Asia is home to so many delicious, exotic fruits, which are also a must-try. Cambodian cuisine has been preserved in so many different methods, which has inspired a lot of gastronomic approaches. This includes sun and air drying, smoking, salting, and curing. These preservation techniques enhance the food by deepening its flavor profile. You’ll experience this firsthand on the sailing with Emerald Cruises, as I incorporate these ingredients into the curated menu.

Looking ahead, what are your hopes for the future of Cambodian food on the world stage—and what role do you see yourself playing in that evolution?

Looking to the future, my hope is that Cambodian cuisine will be recognized on a global scale, similar to its neighbouring countries, and that my ingredients will be on menus all over the world! It really is a fresh, vibrant, unique and delicious cuisine that should have its time in the spotlight. I also am excited to have opportunities to lift up or to make space for other up-and-coming Cambodian chefs. I cannot wait to see a strong stable of Cambodian chefs respecting, innovating, and showcasing their flavours.