Kroeung: Cambodian Cooking with Chef T is part-biography, part-cookbook, and follows the journey of Visoth Tarak Ouk, the son of Cambodian refugees and former gang member who worked his way up to Executive Chef. Co-written by Dr. Christine Su, a leading scholar of the Cambodian American experience, the book shares narratives about both the Cambodian community in general and Chef T's life in particular. Christine Su is an educator, historian, writer, and community activist based in San Francisco. The biracial daughter of a Cambodian father and a Scottish mother, she has worked and traveled throughout Southeast Asia. Her research efforts focus on Cambodian diasporic history and culture, and multiracial and transnational identity. Chef Visoth Tarak Ouk ("Chef T") was born in a refugee camp in Thailand before relocating to the U.S. with his family. Chef T's innate passion for cooking developed early on. He first learned how to cook by watching his mother and grandmother and was cooking simple meals by the age of five. He earned his associate's degree from Long Beach City College in 2011 and is currently the Executive Chef at Gladstone's Seafood Restaurant in Long Beach.