851: Spanglish with Monti Carlo and The Lao Kitchen with Saeng Douangdara
The Splendid Table: Conversations & Recipes For Curious Cooks & Eaters
American Public Media
4.3 • 3K Ratings
🗓️ 12 June 2026
⏱️ 54 minutes
🔗️ Recording | Apple Podcasts | RSS
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Summary
This week, we explore traditional foods and identity with two amazing chefs. First, Food editor and author Monti Carlo talks about her visit home to Puerto Rico after many years away and how reconnecting with her roots shaped her approach to cooking traditional dishes, even adding her own spin, like her Bacalaíto Battered Onion Rings recipe. Monti Carlo is the Senior Food & Dining Editor at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and author of the latest book, Spanglish. Then, we get into the spicy, savory, sticky food of Laos with Saeng Douangdara. Saeng talks about his upbringing in Wisconsin, why sticky rice is a huge identifier of Laotian culture, and shares his favorite recipes, including his take on the Laab Taco. Saeng Douangdara is the author of The Lao Kitchen: Lao Flavors and Stories Told Through Family Recipes.
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Broadcast dates for this episode:
June 12, 2026 (originally aired)
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Transcript
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| 0:55.9 | I'm Frances Lamb, and this is the splendid table from APM. |
| 1:09.8 | Some people have born with a gift of knowing where they belong, and others have to work for that knowledge. |
| 1:15.9 | Today, we're talking to two people who've definitely put in the work. |
| 1:21.0 | Sang Dongara is a Lao American chef in Wisconsin, who was a psychologist and counselor, |
| 1:26.5 | until the desire to learn more about his |
| 1:28.1 | culture and cuisine pulled him into a different life. |
| 1:31.6 | His book is called The Lao Kitchen, and we'll talk to him later in the show. |
| 1:36.3 | We're going to start, though, with the delightful Monty Carlo. |
| 1:40.5 | The senior food and dining editor at the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Monty has lived many lives. |
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