Chantha Nguon was born in Cambodia and spent two decades as a refugee, until she was finally able to return to her homeland. She is the co-founder,of the Stung Treng Women’s Development Center, a social enterprise that offers a living wage, education, and social services to women and their families in rural northeastern Cambodia. A frequent public speaker, she has appeared at universities and on radio and TV news programs, including NPR’s "Morning Edition." She cooks often for friends and family, and for private events. An excerpt from SLOW NOODLES in Hippocampus was named a Longreads Best Personal Essay in 2021.

Books by Chantha Nguon

Slow Noodles: A Cambodian Memoir of Love, Loss, and Family Recipes

by Chantha Nguon with Kim Green - Memoir, Nonfiction

SLOW NOODLES is a haunting and beautiful memoir from a Cambodian refugee who lost her country and her family during Pol Pot's genocide in the 1970s but who finds hope by reclaiming the recipes she tasted in her mother's kitchen.