ACAC Chef Spotlight
Chef Spotlight: Cambodia-born and raised, chef Kim Matang is taking his culinary skill and expertise and training a new generation of Cambodian youth.
“No one is born a great cook. One learns by doing.” – Chef Matang
Cambodian Chef, Kim Matang, has 15 years of experience in the culinary arts. His career started in 2002 when he began studying at Ecole D’hôtellerie et Tourisme Paul Dubrule, a hospitality academy in Siem Reap, Cambodia. After graduating from the program, he became the executive sous chef at the Angkor Hotel in Siem Reap.
An international career
Chef Matang continued to set his sights high. In 2005, he moved to Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, to work at the famous Noodle House restaurant in the Jumeirah district. After one year of work internationally, gaining a global perspective and work experience, Matang moved back to Cambodia. He propelled his career as a chef even further, taking a post as the sous chef at the Heritages Suites Relais & Châteaux, a sophisticated boutique hotel in Siem Reap. In 2012 he became the executive chef at the Smiling Hotel & Spa, a deluxe four-star hotel in Siem Reap.
Supporting young Cambodian chefs
Chef Matang was invited to be a culinary faculty member at L’École D’hôtellerie Et Tourisme Paul Dubrule where he taught students in culinary arts until he joined the Academy of Culinary Arts Cambodia as a faculty chef. At the ACAC, he trains Cambodian young people to become skilled and professional players in the country’s ever-expanding hospitality and tourism industry.