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Thalias Signs Strategic Collaboration Deal with Amara Capital

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“This is the first step of three that will propel Thalias to realise its vision of being recognised as the first choice for fine food lovers and hospitality in Cambodia,” said Thalias CEO Arnaud Darc after signing the agreement On 21 September Thalias Hospitality Group and Amara Capital announced the signing of a strategic growth investment deal between the two companies. The deal was the culmination of a long-term strategy by Thalias Group towards attracting inward investors in order to build upon our strengths and expand our activities both within and outside of Cambodia. “This is the first step of three that will propel Thalias to realise its vision of being recognised as the first choice for fine food lovers and hospitality in Cambodia,” said Thalias CEO Arnaud Darc after signing the agreement, adding, “I am confident this partnership will flourish with new opportunities for both our groups.” Amara Capital is a Cambodia-licensed fund management company run by entrepreneurs and investment specialists with extensive experience in the Kingdom. They offer small-to-medium-sized enterprises and real estate projects debt solutions and private equity investment geared towards strategic growth. Speaking after the deal was inked, Mr Darc added, “This investment, and the confidence it shows, is the fruit of our own long-standing investments in our company, the quality of our service and personnel and the integrity of our vision for the future, not just for Thalias, but also for our teams and, ultimately, of Cambodia. “Since its inception, Thalias has always been a forward-looking company. We believe in the future of Cambodia, and with that the future for our key sector: fine dining. We have always strived to set and attain the highest standards in creation, service and the growth of our company and the people that make it what it is. This deal represents recognition that we have succeeded in many of our goals, and provides the opportunity to expand those goals even further”. Amara and Thalias will also be collaborating on governance, business and finance strategies that will support the company as it moves forward. Thalias would like to thank Amara for their investment, as well as their confidence, knowledge and insights and we look forward to the development of this relationship in the years ahead.  

Putting the Fun into French at Alliance Française in Siem Reap

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Learning French can help Cambodians and other nationalities not just to engage in a different way with French speakers here in Cambodia, but also to open the space of French-language speaking parts of the world There are changes afoot at the Alliance Française in Siem Reap with the appointment of a new director, a fresh new website on the way and a huge range of language and cultural classes and activities to choose from. The coming changes are designed to make French more approachable, learnable and fun, helping students to connect with one another and with French language and culture and to build their skills in ways that will be, quite practically, unforgettable. So if you’ve ever thought about learning French through Manga, photography, Crossfit, yoga, cooking, and more, or by direct application to your profession, this is for you. Taking first things first, Nathalie Pinol will soon be taking over the reins as Director. She is in fact already a familiar face at the Alliance which she joined in May this year as a pedagogical coordinator. In that capacity, and subsequently as course director, she has already overseen a huge range of changes at the institution, administratively, professionally and also for the breadth of courses and services they offer. The public will notice a refreshed media library and roof terrace, French lessons given via Manga classes for example, and a host of activities. This promotion will allow Nathalie to develop her ideas even further, and really build on the Alliance’s strengths and ability to reach out and offer something fun, interesting and engaging. Rather than focusing on dry language learning classes (though they are available too! Some people like it that way), the Alliance is building on the energy, dynamism and motivation built up by people’s interests in specific subjects and the role this can play in keeping them engaged and helping to do the hard work of imprinting a language’s million intricacies on the brain. Languages are best learned when they are actually lived. Learning languages opens doors to a wider world of knowledge, experiences and perspectives. Learning French can help Cambodians and other nationalities not just to engage in a different way with French speakers here in Cambodia, but also to open the space of French-language speaking parts of the world. Then there are the possibilities for jobs in French businesses in Cambodia, and also a potential route to French-speaking universities, which tend to offer far better value for money than Anglo-saxon ones. Nathalie highlights the importance of university cooperation agreements that have been developed with the French Embassy, particularly in the medical and legal sectors. Thanks to these agreements, Cambodian students can access quality training in France, and Alliance France serves as a springboard for these students also thanks to support from the French Embassy in Cambodia. To support this new approach, the Alliance is also reconfiguring its website, and we’ll have more on that in November. In the meantime, check out the new schedule below, including prices. Please note that potential students who are struggling financially may be entitled to claim help to cover the cost of materials. French as a Foreign Language (FLE) ($30/month): Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 12pm to 1pm, then from 5pm to 7pm (depending on the students’ level); Every Tuesday and Thursday from 5pm to 6:30pm. New and Unseen at Alliance Française General French classes for Franco-Khmer children: every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 4:30pm to 5:30pm. Workshops other than FLE/ (35$/month) Khmer classes: every Monday and Wednesday from 1pm to 2pm. Every Tuesday: Francophone discovery class: from 4pm to 5pm; Crossfit class, from 5pm to 6pm; Manga workshop: from 6pm to 7pm; Photo workshop: from 6pm to 7pm; Yoga class according to B.K.S Iyengar: from 6pm to 7.10pm. Coming soon (Tuesdays): Khmer Culture Discovery Coming soon (Thursdays): Cooking workshop from 4 to 5:15 pm. To find out more, including details of how to enrol for the course of your choice, take a look at the Alliance Française Siem Reap Facebook page

Which Cat got the Crème Brûlée?

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In France, the first published reference to a crème brûlée comes up in a French text published in 1691. A hundred and seventy years later, it came to be associated with Trinity College at Cambridge At Topaz, the classic Crème Brûlée is, and ever will be, one of our most popular desserts, for very good reasons. It is a testament to the elegance of simplicity, and how a sense of luxuriousness comes from taking the time to get that simplicity right. And there is always something a little audacious and enticing about that first crisp crack of the spoon on the golden glass of the caramel topping in order to reach the smooth, creamy deliciousness beneath. That simplicity may be why France, England and Spain each seem to have independently developed their own versions of the dessert, though the Spanish pipped everyone to the post. In France, the first published reference to a crème brûlée comes up in a French text published in 1691. A few years later in England, a first mention appears in the early 1700s. A hundred and seventy years later, it came to be associated with Trinity College at Cambridge. It is reported that the first person to suggest the dessert to Cambridge’s kitchens was a student, from Scotland. His proposal was rejected with contempt. Whether he was so determined to make his point that it drove him to pursue his studies to the point of becoming a fellow of the university (a member of the faculty elite) in order to re-propose his dish, whereupon it was accepted with relish, is not clear. Though we wouldn’t be surprised… As a result of this association though, the dessert became known as Trinity Cream in England, and Trinity itself used to brand their versions with the college crest. But the Spanish appear to have beaten everyone to the whip, with a Crema Catalana which first appeared in Catalan cookbooks of the 14th century. There are however some difference between the Catalan version and the Crème Brûlée we know today. The French version is made with cream and flavoured with vanilla, while the Catalan version is made with milk, and typically flavoured with cinnamon and lemon zest. At Topaz we make it the classic French way, as you would expect. We’re very confident that simply trying it will make you feel like the cat that got the cream.

Cheese and Bread Doesn’t Need To Be a Blind Date

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The one hard and fast rule seems to be: never mash your cheese into the bread or you’ll scandalise all the French people at your table. Cheese and bread go together like the moon and the stars, or noodles and nom banh chuk. But we spend so much time thinking about the cheeses we want to enjoy that we often forget to think about the fact that the bread is not just the means for transporting the cheese from plate to mouth, but can be a flavour (and joy) accelerant that can really bring out the best in your cheese. While specific pairings don’t exist in the same way that you’ll find for cheese and wines, there are some rough guides you can follow to maximise the unique pleasures of a plate of bread and cheese, from the mildest to the strongest and everything in between. When pairing, you can either look for contrast or harmony and that can apply to both taste and texture. With the former, you might combine a soft, mild goats cheese with a crisp, strongly flavoured bread like toasted medium rye, or a firm, well-matured Comté with a soft, chewy and mellow baker’s baguette. Half-rye breads, especially ryes made with nuts such as walnuts, are highly recommended for the majority of cheeses in fact, although a full-rye might be a bit too strong. Most of the advice in this area though prefers to find harmony in the union, like an excellent marriage. Therefore, a sour and tangy sourdough is recommended for cheeses like Roquefort, and the more pronounced blue cheeses such as those from the Auvergne, Époisses, Munster cheese and mature goats cheeses. Meanwhile, the milder baguettes and loaves made with baker’s yeast, are suggested for the mellower cheeses such as brie, younger goats cheeses, firm Cantal, firm Emmental and Comté. Another great option for blue cheeses or mature uncooked cheeses such as Comté is to find a wholewheat bread whose nuttiness is able to work with the strength of the cheese, without being overwhelmed by it. Other fun pairings might include putting together a deliciously nutty Comté with a seedy or nut-studded bread, or a zesty and smooth young goats cheese with the soft-acidic tang of sourdough. Toasting the bread is a wonderful way to create texture and contrast with the cheese, though care should be taken not to over-toast the bread, or the aggressive flavour starts to outcompete the cheese. All that as it is, whatever bread you like is always the right bread to go with whatever cheese you like. The one hard and fast rule seems to be: never mash your cheese into the bread or you’ll scandalise all the French people at the table.

Feeling All at Sea about Bordeaux?

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The vineyards of this single region of France far exceed the acreage under vines of countries such as New Zealand and Germany, and are not far behind that of countries such as South Africa and Australia Whatever about drinking it, just thinking about wine can give you a headache if you don’t approach it with moderation. The history of wine goes back 8,000 years. There are more than 10,000 wine grape varietals in the world and even using the same grapes will produce different tastes in different parts of the world, depending on the soil, climate and methods used. And even then, how the wine tastes to you in the glass may depend as much on the lighting of the room you’re in as the actual taste of what’s in the glass. It’s a vast world of terroirs, traditions, technologies, climates, customs, varietals, variables, weird words and, frankly, weirder points of view. To sauvignon blanc fans, the scent of cat pee is to be welcomed, for example. This makes wine selection for a lot of people something of a shot in the dark based on vague ideas around preferences and unreliable indicators such as price. No wonder if it all feels very arcane, impenetrable and, frankly, intimidating. But as with so many things, building up bite-sized understandings around wine is one of those things that always yields wider insights than at first thought. Which brings us to Bordeaux, perhaps one of the least bite-sized wine-producing regions of them all. With 110,000 hectares under vines — around one and a half times the size of Pailin Province — the vineyards of this single region of France far exceed the acreage under vines of countries such as New Zealand and Germany, and are not far behind that of countries such as South Africa and Australia. On the other hand, they’ve only been producing wine for 2,000 years and the overwhelming majority of the near one-billion bottles of wine that Bordeaux produces each year are derived from just three grapes. So it already looks a little more manageable. In a global scheme of things at least. So here’s a whistestop tour of the regions you’ll find represented on Topaz’s menu. For the most part, Bordeaux wines are red. Indeed, many are surprised by a mention of white Bordeaux, which is not surprising as whites account for just 8% (around five million cases) of the annual production. We can save those for another day. For the reds with which most people are familiar, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon reign supreme, with Cabernet Franc trailing, importantly, behind. Between them, they account for 88% of all grapes cultivated in Bordeaux. Another three varieties, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Carmenere, account for just over 1% more of terrain. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are responsible for the gutsy fruitiness for which Bordeaux wines are famous, and also for their enduring appeal as wines for laying down for the future. These two grapes have been reliable bedfellows in Bordeaux, and beyond, for centuries with Cabernet Sauvignon’s tannins providing the deep flavour, austere structure and durability, which are in turn mellowed by Merlot’s lush fruitiness. The third wheel, Cabernet Franc, is lighter bodied with a distinct herby fragrance. But given Bordeaux’s size, and the consequent diversity in weather, soils and traditions, how these grapes express themselves depends a lot on where they’ve been cultivated. Bordeaux itself is divided by the Gironde Estuary, which splits as it approaches the city. This estuary is why you may have heard of Left and Right Bank wines from the region. On the Left Bank, Médoc is Bordeaux’s, and possibly the world’s, most famous wine district. Once nothing but unremarkable salt-marshes and pine forests, the marshes have long since been drained and the forests retained to help protect vines from the harsh Atlantic winds. Underneath, gravelly soil provides much needed drainage and heat retention for one the wettest and mildest parts of Bordeaux. Médoc is further divided between Bas-Médoc and Haut-Médoc (Low and High-Médoc). Bas-Médoc wines are generally noted for being easy-drinking, with less acidity and notes of berries, liquorice and roasted coffee. These can be drunk on their own, but are elevated when paired with rich red meats such as beef, lamb and duck, firm-flavoured cheeses such as Brie, Gouda and Comté, and robust desserts like tiramisu. If you’re looking for a quality wine, then you’ll want a Haut-Médoc, at the southern end of the Médoc flank. This is where you’ll find the ultra-prestige appellations, Margaux, Moulis, Listrac, St-Julien, Pauillac and St. Estèphe. This is where you’ll find wines that are deeper, more complex, acidic, with more structure and texture thanks to the tannins, and with notes of liquorice, blackberry and spices. This might be a bit strong to swill on its own, but goes beautifully with rich meats and cheeses, or perhaps something as simply but umami-rich as a mushroom omelette. Further south of the Médoc is Graves, which benefits from the same gravelly terrain as Haut-Médoc. However, they use more Merlot and Cabernet Franc in their blends to create wines that are more aromatic, but with good structure, and notes of chocolate, spices, vanilla and roasted coffee. Graves is also home to Pessac-Léognan, one of the youngest, but best known appellations. Over on the right side of the estuary you find Libournais, home to some of the most sought-after names in Bordeaux, in particular Saint-Émilion, Pomerol and Fronsac. Here, Merlot’s and Cabernet Franc’s dominance gives robustly plummy wines with a gentler character than their Left-Bank cousins. Saint-Émilion is especially renowned for its deep, rich and “fleshy” wines, but the highly diverse soils and blends used mean that choosing a Saint-Émilion is not strictly a task for the light-hearted, or light-pocketed. Finally, we have Bordeaux Supérieur which is part of the Bordeaux AOC appellation. Bordeaux Supérieur are noted for their robustness and complexity, with generously fruity, floral and spicy overtones. This is one of the most wide-ranging appellations, covering a huge area of Bordeaux … Read more

The Sweet Finesse of Fleur de Sel

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Fleur de sel which means “flower of salt” in French, is regarded as the best salt money can buy, thanks to its elegant snowflake-like texture and, to many, its sweeter taste Salt, or the sodium it contains, is one of life’s essential building blocks. It is also one of the basic ‘tastes’ that define how we experience food, namely salt, sweet, sour, bitter and umami. All these tastes interact with one another in different ways, but salt is kind of like the ring in Lord of the Rings, “one taste to rule them all”. In other words, it is what is known as a universal flavour enhancer. This is because of its unique ability to make sweet foods taste sweeter, and savoury foods more savoury. How does it do that? At low levels, salt reduces bitterness, but increases sweet, sour and umami elements, which is perfect for sweet dishes, while at higher levels, it suppresses sweetness and enhances umami, which is great news for your steak. And while it might be tempting to think that salt is salt, because sodium, after all, is sodium, not all salts are strictly created equal. Fleur de sel which means “flower of salt” in French, is regarded as the best salt money can buy, thanks to its elegant snowflake-like texture and, to many, its sweeter taste. The tradition of making fleur de sel goes back thousands of years, and is still practiced in parts of France, such as the Guérande in Brittany, where it is collected after forming a thin, delicate crust on the surface of evaporating seawater. Given the delicacy involved in harvesting this mineral, it is still required to be done by hand, which explains why fleur de sel is so much more expensive than other salts. While flour de sel is laced with a range of natural minerals that give it its full flavour, it contains little to none of the magnesium that gives other salts their bitter flavour. Because of this delicacy and sweetness, and price, fleur de sel is very much a garnishing and not a cooking salt. It’s not one you throw willy-nilly into a pan for boiling pasta, for example. But its range of uses is still quite wide. Fleur de sel’s higher moisture content also means it melts more slowly than other salts, so when sprinkled on hot foot, it retains its crunchy texture adding another element to the sensory pleasure of each bite. But a little light sprinkle can really bring a whole new dimension to desserts too. A few grains sprinkled on top of a chocolate mousse, or perhaps a glutinous rice ball, will add a soft but enlivening zing without the bitter punch that a traditional salt delivers. In Cambodia, Fleur de Sel is now produced in Kampot which has the perfect weather conditions for producing it. There, the natural processes are also still followed with much of the work from harvesting to drying being done by hand. It is the mark of a truly fine table.

Tamarind Over the Ages

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In an article entitled “Tamarind in the Cuisine of Angkor’s Villages: From the Memoirs of Zhou Daguan to Today”, Cambodian anthropologist Ang Choulean has explored the role this unusual, tangy-sweet fruit has played in the preparation of Cambodian cuisine and condiments down through the ages. Tamarind’s best moments are during the hot, dry seasons of the year, when the fruits are ripe and easily peeled. At this stage of its life, the seeds have hardened and are not used, only the pulp, which has a very different taste from its young, unripe form. One of the advantages these fruits offer is that they can be kept for a long time, and enjoyed all year around. However, the tamarind fruit’s annual life cycle presents an abundance of opportunity for Cambodia’s chef. Choulean begins with the famous memoirs of the Chinese emissary, Zhou Daguan, whose record of his time at Angkor is one of the most important eye-witness accounts of life at Angkor during the reign of the Khmer Empire. While his records never attempt to deconstruct Cambodian cooking of the time, Daguan does take time to regret the absence of two staple sauces considered fundamental to Chinese cooking, namely soy sauce and vinegar. In so doing, he explains that when Cambodians want to add an acidic flavour to their cooking, as vinegar would, they instead used tamarind (ampil). Choulean elaborates on the types of Cambodian dishes whose dominant flavour is acidic, and integrate tamarind to achieve that end. He divides these into liquid dishes, namely samlor mchou, and crushed solid foods. Tamarind is also an integral ingredient to sauces that accompany certain dishes, such as grilled fish. He starts to explore the wider context of how tamarind is prepared and consumed today by taking us through the life cycle of the tamarind fruit. This brings us a variety of dishes, including a sauce made with young tamarind fruits, which are crushed along with shallots, garlic mam herb, chillies and salt to create a crushed paste for a sauce to accompany grilled fish. Moving on in the year to September, the fruits in the tamarind trees have ripened and sweetened, but of greater interest to cooks are the leaves which they combine with lemongrass, galangal, garlic, prahok, salt, palm sugar, and finally holy basil which is saved to last, to create a warming samlor mchou, perhaps with crab. Next Choulean imagines the a Khmer household preparing a sort of inter-meal snack of papaya salad. He notes that Khmer papaya salad is quite distinct from its Thai and Laotian counterparts thanks to its use of prahok instead of shrimp paste (Thailand) or padèk (Laos). It should be remembered that a Khmer bok l-hong, prepared off the shelf, is very different from Thai som tam or Lao tam mak houng. The use of prahok instead of kapi (shrimp paste in Thai) or fish sauce (Laos) is one of its characteristics. Another distinction in the preparation of this salad is that while in Thailand and Laos, the acidic element of this salad is introduce by using lemon, or lime, in Angkor that end was achieved by the addition of tamarind. At the time of year of which Choulean is imagining, January, his cooks are having to make do with ripened tamarind fruits which lack the starp tang of their immature selves. Be that as it may, Choulean’s cooks carry on with crushing their ingredients with the crumbled flesh of a grilled fish and with grated papaya, all of which is to be served with peanuts and a set of vegetables. Choulean then describes the making of a fermented fish dish which is served with slices of fresh ripe tamarind. “The taste of this fruit in its entirety is sought here, the harshness and bitterness of the seeds correcting the acidity of the pulp…” Choulean brings his discourse back to Daguan to demonstrate continuity in the use of tamarind to introduce sour, acidic flavours even though, over the centuries since his visit, soy sauce and vinegar have become entirely integrated into the Cambodian culinary landscape. Indeed many households make their own vinegar. Adapted from an article in: Cambodge Mag

Hope on the Horizon

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Tourists are starting to make their way back to Cambodia, and the government is launching an eight-pronged strategy to help ensure they keep doing so Over the first nine months of this year, ticket sales for the Angkor Archaeological Park saw a 20-fold increase over the same period last year. More than 134,000 foreign visitors accounted for ticket revenues of $5.36 million for the Park, and also gave grounds for optimism for the future. “This heritage site is essential to attract tourists, create jobs and generate income for our people in the tourism sector,” Prime Minister Hun Sen said during a visit to the Angkor Park at the beginning of this month. During the pre-COVID-19 era, Angkor collected up to 2.2 million international visitors in 2019, generating $99 million in revenue from ticket sales, Angkor Enterprise reported. In 2020, the tourism industry as a whole brought in over $1 billion for Cambodia, a figure that plummeted to $184 million last year. The government is now targeting 7.5 million visitors over the next five years with an eight-pronged strategy published at the end of last month. The first four elements of the strategy cover developing creative and innovative tourism products and services, improving the quality of tourism services in accordance with recognised standards, supporting the training of tourism professionals, and promoting convenience and safety in tourism transportation and mobility. The other four aim to improve capacity building, research and promotion of Cambodian tourism, encourage the adoption of modern tourism technologies, initiate more key policies to support tourism development, and to strengthen tourism governance mechanisms and human resource development. According to the report, the Ministry of Tourism has defined major policies, plans and strategies for the next five years for effective management and development of the tourism sector. “Sustainable tourism development is a government priority to develop the nation and serve the best interests of the people,” says the report. Ministry figures reveal that Cambodia recorded 998,272 international arrivals in the first eight months of 2022, marking a 720 percent year-on-year increase. August accounted for more than a quarter of this, with 254,813, up 7.65 percent from July (236,697), which saw a 44.95 percent jump from June (163,298). Adapted from an article in Cambodge Mag

Fresh Flavours Wafting out of the Kitchens at Topaz

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Under the leadership of Executive Chef Sopheak Pov, ably assisted by Alain “Papa” Darc, the kitchen team at Topaz has been exceptionally busy lately redesigning our entire menu from top to bottom. We’ll be keeping some of your favourites (such as Salads Niçoise and Oysters au Gratin with Champagne Cream), and we’ve simply tweaked some others to create a fresh perspective, while some dishes will be entirely new. And some of them will be quite spectacular. It’s been a hard job having to taste them all, but thankfully someone’s got to do it! There are simply too many new or adapted dishes to mention in one article. And while some may argue that anticipation is the greater part of pleasure, we beg to differ where, say, a Rack of Lamb en Croute is involved. That said, here’s a preview of some of the changes you can look forward to tasting soon. Caviar has been long been a feature of our menu, and will always continue to be so. But so far we have always served it either on its own as an exquisitely luxurious starter, or as a finishing touch that adds a powerful bolt of additional flavour. Now we have centred caviar in its own dish on our starter menu with Caviar with Grouper Brandade, bringing together the earthy and mellow saltiness of quality caviar with a smooth purée made from potatoes, olive oil and grouper, a mild fish with sweet undertones that make it a perfect partner for the caviar. Among the recipes that we’ve tweaked you’ll find an old favourite, Roasted Beef Tenderloin, but this time with a Sauce Périgueux whose combination of earthy truffle flavours and the sharp, fruity tang of Madeira make a sublime counterpoint to the rich, juicy sweetness of a great steak. Another tweak can be found in another perennial hero, Foie Gras. We’ve served this on a bed of warm mangoes for the last few years, but now we’ve matched it up with a slick Apple Cider Sauce whose tart-sweetness distinguishes the richness of the foie gras in ways that will make you giddy. In a new twist on the menu though, we present Baked Foie Gras with Veal Sweetbreads and Black Winter Truffles in a Puff Pastry Crust. We’re not going to say much more than that, because the name speaks for itself. For those who are unsure though, sweetbreads refer to the pancreas or thymus of the calf. They are rich and exquisitely tender, with a subtle, even creamy, flavour. This is a dish to try as soon as you possibly can. Another new appearance on the menu comes from fresh out of the sea. This time it’s Pan-fried Turbot with Caper Sauce served with Sautéed Ratte Potatoes. Turbot is an Atlantic and Mediterranean flatfish with a sweet, mild flavour that’s slightly fishier than cod or halibut. Served with the tart-brininess of a caper sauce and the unique nut-butter flavour of Ratte Potatoes, we are confident that you’ll be hooked at the first bite. There are so many more, but that will simply have to wait for another time. After all, don’t forget that sometimes anticipation is the greater part of pleasure. And we will of course keep you informed of when you can expect to see all these and more on the fresh revamped Topaz Menu.

Meet our Photographer: Nataly Lee

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A genuine ray of light wherever she goes, it feels like destiny that Nataly Lee came to a profession that allows her to use the prism of her own eyes to make the world a more beautiful place for all of us. Nataly’s photography is defined by her mission to present what she sees in its most honest form, a living embodiment of the belief that “beauty is truth, truth is beauty”. So when we were choosing who we wanted to create one of the most important elements of our brand and image, she was hands down the obvious choice. Though born in Battambang, Nataly was less than a year old when her family moved to Australia. She didn’t see her natal-home again until almost 20 years later on a visit with her family. For someone who had grown up knowing little of where she came from, she says the trip was quite an eye-opener. But, some years later she started making an annual pilgrimage together with her husband. But it didn’t cross her mind to settle here permanently until 2011 when she realised that this is where she really needed to be. She made the move the day after graduating from a graphic design course back in Australia, and originally started working as a producer and designer for a film production company. A few years later, she set up her own blog to document the things she saw in Cambodia, to reveal their beauty to others as they had revealed their beauty to her. Of course she needed a camera for that, and so in 2014 her photographic journey began, almost by accident. “Photography for me was always a way to share and highlight all the things I saw around me. I believe there is so much beauty, even in the smallest things, and the reason I take photos and share them is with the hope that, through my eyes, others are able to see and appreciate some of those things.” Naturally in tune with people and the environment around her, Nataly also appreciates the opportunity that photography in particular gives to connect even more deeply with a subject, a person or a place. On assignment, she digs in to find out who her client is, what their story and values are and how she can create something that really resonates with them. “My approach is one that is based on empathy and understanding and what matters most to me are the people and the processes. I believe that if we focus on the right things, the results will always be meaningful,” she says. Nataly’s natural, simple and authentic style lends itself especially well to food photography though, and that is in fact her favourite subject and the one she finds easiest, though many photographers say they find food photography to be more challenging. As she was growing up, the fabric of Nataly’s world was defined by food—bother her parents are cooks—and she still loves getting in behind the scenes of the whole process so she can sit down with chefs and restauranteurs to find out what makes them tick. Her approach from there is straightforward: “I believe that my camera is just an extension of my eye. I never shoot with the intention of doing lots of retouching or editing. I shoot it (and edit it) the way I see it. Food will never look better than the way it is presented to you at the table, so my approach, really, is to capture food in its most honest form.” And it’s easy to see the results. So much of what you see on the social media channels for Khéma and Topaz is the result of Nataly’s work, images that are infused with light, elegance and beauty. Like food photographers, the rest of us often find food photography challenging too, even with all of the apps and editing tools available to us. To help create images that breathe life, Nataly has the following suggestion: “Always shoot in natural light, and think about the composition. You don’t always have to zoom in to see every detail of the dish and every ingredient. The background and the composition of the entire image is just as important as the food itself.” We’re very glad she picked up that camera eight years ago.