Chef's Story

This week’s guest on Chef’s Story is Soulayphet “Phet” Schwader. Born in a small village outside the capital of Laos, “Thangone,” Soulayphet Schwader immigrated to the U.S. at a very young age. Growing up in Kansas Soulayphet recalls a youth spent clamoring for a ham sandwich instead of the traditional Laotian lunch his mother would pack for him each day. It wasn’t until he secured his first job as a fry cook, while studying philosophy in college that the possibilities inherent in his colorful background began to materialize. Schwader began his formal education at the New England Culinary Institute in Vermont. After completing an externship at Dundee Bistro in Oregon where he was exposed to the nuances of wine and its relationship to food, Schwader came to New York to work under Patricia Yeo at AZ. Working with an award-winning team that counted Chef Pino Maffeo among its members. When Chef Maffeo headed to Boston to open Restaurant L, he recruited Schwader as his Chef de cuisine, who was able to explore his