“My lifelong interest in the traditional recipes and regional cooking styles of Southeast Asia is my passion,” Irene comments. “Growing up in Yangon (Burma) I felt I could share some of my memories and riches of these extraordinary cuisines with others.”
Irene Khin Wong’s first career was as an investment banker on Wall Street. Next she was the chef/owner of the renowned Burmese SoHo restaurant, Road to Mandalay. During a three year working sabbatical in Asia she designed menus, created recipes and consulted for hotels and restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
As an expert in her field, Irene’s food knowledge has been sought after by many. Irene was one of three featured ethnic caterers on Channel 7’s New York: Non-Stop. She has appeared on numerous national TV Food Network broadcasts. She was a speaker and panelist at a seminar on Southeastern Asia, which was conducted by The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.
She has consulted for various New York restaurants and is on the Faculty of The New School for Culinary Arts and has offered classes at the French Culinary Institute. She is a board member of the Asian Culinary Society and a member of The Japan Society.
Irene has contributed to and been featured in various magazines, websites and cookbooks. Her signature dishes have appeared in New York Magazine, Time Out New York, Food Arts, The New York Times, New York Daily News, Los Angeles Times and international newspapers from Europe to Asia.
Irene travels to Asia extensively and leads a cultural culinary tour annually with a selected group through Burma, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. She is also Vice Chair of the ThinGyan Association (pronounced “THIN-yun,” meaning “renewal”), a non-political, not-for-profit Burmese-American social organization which each year sponsors the Burmese New Year’s Water Festival.
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