hello, my name is Richard Dang.
I’m currently researching for a documentary on Cambodian food in Canada, which will develop into an archive on Cambodian food in Canada. As a filmmaker and an anthropology major, I’ve always been interested in stories and cultures. My journey documenting stories of Cambodian stories started when I became involved with the Hearts of Freedom project. This project collected personal histories of Southeast Asian refugees from Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia who arrived in Canada between 1975 and 1989. From this experience, I wanted go beyond the dark history of Cambodians in Canada, into the rich world of food.
Growing up, I often went to Vietnamese and Chinese restaurants, yet I had never been to, or heard of, a Cambodian restaurant. Recently, when I spoke with friends and family about this, everyone had their own ideas about why Cambodian restaurants don’t exist, and after many years of questions, I was fortunate to receive support from the Canada Council for the Arts and the Cambodian Association of Ottawa-Valley to explore this question. This is “Where the Cambodian Restaurants at?” project began, a dedication to researching the stories of Cambodian cuisine across Canada.
num banh chok (នំបញ្ចុក) - rice noodles served with fish-based green curry and topped with fresh herbs and vegetables.
According to the 2021 Census, approximately 38,500 Canadians identify as Cambodian, compared to 275,500 Vietnamese and 1.71 million Chinese Canadians. While Chinese cuisine is the most represented ethnic food across Canada, with an estimated one restaurant for every 342 Chinese Canadians, and Vietnamese restaurants with one restaurant for every 275 Vietnamese Canadians, Cambodian restaurants remain far fewer in number. With roughly 30 Cambodian restaurants nationwide, about one for every 1,283 Cambodian Canadians. This shows there’s a massive gap in representation within Canada’s food landscape.
Samlor machu kroeung (សម្លរម្ជូរគ្រឿង) - sour soup made with lemongrass spice paste, tamarind, and meats, balanced with fresh herbs and vegetables.
The goal of this project is to create resources on Cambodian food in Canada, as a way to amplify Cambodian culture in Canada. I have seen, within Cambodian diaspora communities, how the food culture we experienced during our early settlement days are harder to maintain. As elders age, access to Cambodian food is becoming less common. This project is timely and personal. I’m open to any support, whether it is connecting with Cambodian cooks and chefs, sharing family recipes, documenting restaurants that still exist or have disappeared, or anything that adds to learning about Cambodian food in Canada.
Thank you, and if you’d like to get involved or share your insights, feel free to email me at richard.dang743@gmail.com or call/text (613) 869‑2472.
In 2025, I will travel from Toronto to Vancouver to explore how Cambodian food is represented across major cities, including Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver, before continuing to Quebec City, Montreal, and finally Kingston. Through this research, I aim to understand how Cambodian communities source ingredients for traditional dishes, the presence of Cambodian restaurants, and the experiences of Cambodian cooks and chefs working in the food industry.
sponsors
We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts & the Cambodian Association of Ottawa-Valley.
about the filmmaker
Richard Dang
Producer and Director
As a filmmaker, I’ve committed myself to authentic storytelling, especially within the Cambodian and Southeast Asian diaspora community. I use accessible tools to encourage underrepresented communities to share their stories. Passionate about documenting my heritage, I’ve worked on a project with Carleton University called Hearts of Freedom, which involved collecting interviews with over 150 Southeast Asian refugees and Canadian sponsors, as well as a documentary titled Passage of Freedom.
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