Cooking is a lifelong passion for Nang Keophommavong, a Baton Rouge restaurateur whose kitchen wisdom has informed local eateries Thai Pepper and Chai Thai-Lao, plus others outside the Capital Region.
Eschewing shortcuts and taking extra steps to layer flavors—even in casual concepts—is Keophommavong’s culinary calling card, says daughter Kit Keophommavong-Bradford.
The two opened the Thai and Laotian restaurant, Chai Thai-Lao, in early 2023.
“When she was growing up, everything was about using what you grew,” Keophommavong-Bradford says. “There was no going to Walmart.”
Keophommavong, now 66, immigrated to the United States from Thailand in the ’80s, settling first in California before making her way to the Bayou State.
The mother of four opened Thai Pepper in 2000, running it with a partner for about 20 years. Her culinary prowess is known among her extended network of friends and family. She has consulted on four other restaurants outside Baton Rouge, including eateries on the Northshore and in Florida and Washington state.
“When they open a new restaurant, they call me to help out,” Keophommavong says.
Keophommavong-Bradford credits her mom for old-school techniques that have helped Chai Thai-Lao garner a loyal following in less than two years. Sales have far surpassed expectations, she says.
“One thing she does is add muscadine leaves to the papaya salad sauce as it cooks. It adds umami,” Keophommavong-Bradford says. “That comes from using what’s around you.”
For the laab salad, Keophommavong makes her own toasted rice powder, an Asian cooking pantry staple that adds texture and nuttiness. She does so by toasting and grinding sticky rice after cooking it with lemongrass and other undisclosed ingredients. She also developed the restaurant’s popular Thai eggroll recipe, calling for freshly chopped pork inside hand-rolled wheat wrappers and a homemade sweet and sour sauce.
When she’s not cooking in a restaurant, Keophommavong is known for hosting large Sunday family dinners with scratch-made soups and noodle and rice dishes, including the crowd-pleasing kaipun, a curry noodle soup with ground fish and pork, her daughter says.
“I love it,” Keophommavong says. “It makes me happy to cook for my children and my family.” chai-thai-lao.com
This article was originally published in the November 2024 issue of 225 Magazine.
