Joannes Riviere is a highly talented young French chef who was formerly a pastry chef in the US. He went to Cambodia in 2002 to take charge of the training courses at the Sala Bai Hotel and Restaurant School. Most recently he was Executive Chef at Meric, the restaurant at Hotel de la Paix in Siem Reap where he became a specialist in Cambodian cuisine. Joannes wrote the recipes in this book in collaboration with the teachers at Sala Bai and the help of his Cambodian friends.

Dominique De Bourgknecht and David Lallemand have a diploma from the European School of Management in Paris. They both worked for several years in France (Dominique as a financial analyst and David as a consultant in business strategy), before going to Cambodia for a year. Heads of this project, Dominique and David put all their energy and enthusiasm into every stage-from looking for financial backing to negotiating the publishing contract and organizing the photography sessions. David also wrote the accompanying texts in the book.

Maja Smend specializes in culinary and travel photography. After winning the Best Media and Student Photography Award in the UK in 2000, she founded her own company. German by birth, but based in London, she has a wide clientele in the UK and the rest of Europe, including major food manufacturers, publishers, advertising and design agencies. Maja loves everything and anything to do with cooking, markets and travel…and photography, of course!