Miss Kim Special Dinner with Southern Chef Ron Hsu
A new cookbook brings Chef Hsu to town for this wonderful meal
Looking for a special meal to liven up your summer? Miss Kim could be the spot for you on Tuesday, July 21, when Atlanta-based chef Ron Hsu comes to town. Hsu has a new cookbook out, and the meal is based on recipes included in it. The book’s title, Down South + East, tells the story of his life: Hsu was born, raised, and opened his restaurant, Lazy Betty, in Atlanta—and he grew up with parents who immigrated from China and ran Chinese restaurants. The “Betty” in his restaurant’s name is his Taiwanese mother, who had immigrated from China. Hsu says,
My story is very much an American one, and I hope my cooking style speaks to this current moment. Just as you can now find hoisin sauce, miso paste, and sriracha in the local Piggly Wiggly that once carried no ingredient more exotic than soy sauce, I want this cookbook to build on our growing exposure to different cultures.
While “Lazy Betty” might seem like a negative descriptor, it’s actually a tongue-in-cheek compliment to his mother’s incredible work ethic. Asked about her reaction to the name, Hsu explained,
She loved it. And of course, my mother was not lazy at all. She moved to the U.S. with only $20 in her pocket, barely knowing any English. She saved up enough to eventually move to Georgia to start her restaurant empire. My mom was very short, maybe four-foot-ten, but had the personality of a giant. At Lazy Betty she would just go up to people and say, “I am lazy Betty,” and point at herself with so much vigor and tenacity. …
My mother was a big inspiration. She migrated here from Taiwan via Malaysia, settled in San Francisco, then moved to Georgia. I grew up eating things like stir-fried lo mein with Thanksgiving dinner. She would also do Salisbury steak, but instead of gravy make a stir-fried soy sauce. It was just so cool to be able to dig deep and relive those memories and find new things. My mom was always pushing me, but deep down she would have been very proud.
Hsu is super active across the industry: He’s involved with several nonprofits, such as RAISE: High Road Restaurants, which promotes fair wages and equity in the restaurant world, and KultureCity, which supports those with sensory needs and “invisible disabilities.” He’s written widely, including a great op-ed in The New York Times in December 2021 about the challenges of staying in business during those especially trying times. Oh yeah, and he was also featured on the Netflix series The Final Table.The heart of the evening’s matter is, of course, the menu—which is drawn from Hsu’s new book, with a bit of Miss Kim blended into the mix:
The first course includes crispy rice cakes with sriracha ranch, pickled shrimp with coconut milk, and Ron Hsu’s famous pimento cheese wontons.
The second course will be char siu–glazed baby back ribs, or char siu–glazed tofu for those not eating meat; vermicelli noodles with fried chicken nuggets, or seaweed rolls; cucumber and tomato salad with mala-buttermilk dressing; and collard green fried rice in a stone bowl.
For dessert? Vietnamese coffee tiramisu.
On Tuesday the 21st, you can celebrate having successfully navigated another Ann Arbor Art Fair by joining Ji Hye, the Miss Kim crew, and Ron Hsu for this special meal. Head here for more on the menu (which is always subject to alteration based on ingredient availability or, of course, lack thereof).
