Product Design

Cambodian Culture
through Cooking

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

How might we document and promote traditional Khmer Cuisine to a global market?

While teaching at AUPP Liger Leadership Academy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, I designed and facilitated two 10-week project-based learning courses for Cambodian middle schoolers centered on documenting and promoting traditional Khmer cuisine. This was a significant and relevant project to execute, as neighboring countries like Thailand and Vietnam have successfully attained global recognition for their cuisine, meanwhile delicious Cambodian dishes remain less well known on the global scale.

These courses were centered on guiding students to use digital design and visual communication tools (such as Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, Lightroom and Premiere Pro) to promote traditional Khmer cuisine and culture in creative and beautiful ways through illustration, video, product design and photography.

Product packaging designed by students at AUPP Liger Leadership Academy / Art Direction by me

Cambodian Culture through Cooking
Khmer Cooking 2
Khmer Cooking 3

Cambodian Culture through Cooking — An Illustrated Cookbook (1st Edition)

In this first edition of the cookbook, my students and I focused on capturing the vibrant beauty of Khmer cuisine through photos and illustrations in a simple cookbook. I guided them to edit photos using Adobe Lightroom, interview restaurant owners to share about their journey with Khmer cuisine, create videos from interviews, write descriptions of foods and illustrate accompanying graphics with Adobe Illustrator.

Chhey — Cambodian Culture through Cooking (2nd Edition)

This second version of the Cambodian Culture through Cooking cookbook, written and illustrated by students from AUPP Liger Leadership Academy and directed by me, builds off of the first edition. This version is aimed at making traditional Khmer recipes more accessible and easy to follow with step-by-step instructions and ingredient substitution suggestions depending on location, in order to more effectively spread Khmer cuisine around the world.

In this class, I taught students Adobe Illustrator, InDesign and Premier so they could create a new cookbook, mealkit packaging and accompanying recipe tutorial videos. I also guided the development of the new branding guide and directed the design of the cookbook and packaging.

Chhey — Cambodian Culture through Cooking Meal Kits & Packaging Design

As part of the class, I guided students to develop packaging designs for pre-packaged mealkits of traditional Khmer recipes like 'Nhom Plae Ai.' These mealkits were designed to be sold locally and abroad for foreigners who wished to take a piece of Cambodia's tasty cuisine home with them to try and cook themselves.

Package 1
Package 2
Package 3
Package 4

Packaging designed by students in Adobe Illustrator, editing and art direction by me

Product Photos

Product 1
Product 2
Product 3
Product 4

Class Presentation

Presentation made by Liger Leadership Academy students