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Home > Prizes > Prize Recipients > Varin Keokitvon

Varin Keokitvon

2010 Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Culinary Arts

Location

Seattle, WA

Title

Chef, Heartwood Provisions; Sous-chef and chef instructor, FareStart

Area(s) of Research

Culinary arts; dessert; serving low-income communities

Education

North Seattle Community College (AAS, culinary arts);
Seattle Central Community College (AAS, pastry and speciality breads)

Country of Birth

Laos

Tags
chef culinary arts laos restaurateur
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A black and white photo of chef Varin Keokitvon wearing an apron.

Varin Keokitvon is in always pursuit of excellence: “I want to be the best, so I emulate the best,” he says. Though unstinting in his praise of his professional role models, it is the heritage of this highly accomplished culinary artist that inspires him to “continue to push limits, not just in what I create, but in all aspects of my life.”

Keokitvon has made his home in Seattle, since arriving to the U.S. from Laos, via Thailand, in 1986, when he was 2 years old. His parents’ professional lives were stripped away by war; his mother had been a banker, and his father a pilot in the Royal Laos Air Force, until his capture by the Pathet Lao (Laotian communists). After nine years as a POW, his father escaped and the family fled to Thailand, where after two years they received permission to immigrate to America.

Keokitvon’s desserts, which can only be described as culinary artistry, recognize the strong cultural influence on his creations. The Laos-born artist regularly uses sugar, chocolate, and pastillage — the “media” of the pastry chef — to shape and stylize various forms of the lotus flower, native to and symbolic of his homeland. He also infuses traditional American desserts with such Asian flavors as tamarind, mango, pandan leaf, coconut, and jasmine tea.

While a student, he realized that he wanted to teach, and to serve as a mentor to young people, especially those struggling to find their way. Today, he is the sous-chef and chef instructor at Seattle-based FareStart, a culinary job training and placement program for homeless and disadvantaged individuals. He is also deeply involved as a volunteer peer mentor at The Service Board (TSB), an outreach program for at-risk high school students.

Awards and Accomplishments

  • First place, Châine Des Rôtissuers, Meilleur Jeune Commis (Best Young Chef) competition

Jury Members

2010 Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Culinary Arts

Karine Bakhoum

President, KB Networks

Darra Goldstein

Professor, Williams College, Editor-in-Chief, Gastronomica: The Journal of Food and Culture

Andrew Knowlton

Restaurant Editor, Bon Appetite

Gabrielle Langholtz

Editor-in-Chief, Edible Brooklyn/Edible Manhattan

Harvey Levenstein

Professor Emeritus, McMaster University, Author, Paradox of Plenty
Tags
chef culinary arts laos restaurateur
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