Room to Read Boston - Join us November 12 at Elephant Walk!

Elephant Walk has long been a favorite restaurant, with its exotic blend of Cambodian and French cuisine. Imagine my delight that the chefs at Elephant Walk not only agreed to host our Room to Read fundraiser on November 12th (7-9 p.m.), but two of them will be presenting on Cambodia and its cuisine. (This event kicks off a modest campaign by the Boston Chapter to build 10 libraries -- "reading rooms" -- in Cambodia, at a cost of approximately $40,000.)

We're very honored to have Elephant Walk's founding chef, Longteine de Monteiro, (above) speak that evening. She's had a remarkable life, having been born into an upper class Cambodian family and married to a prominent diplomat, and then been forced to flee the country in 1975, with the rise of the Khmer Rouge. Her family settled for several years in France, where Madame de Monteiro ("Nyep" to her friends) opened her first restaurant to keep the family afloat. She had no previous business experience and no formal training as a chef.

In the early 90s, the family moved to the States, which had long been their objective. Elephant Walk was born, and the restaurant was hailed by Esquire Magazine as one of America's Best New Restaurants in 1992, calling Nyep’s food “absolutely delicious and enlightening.”

We'll also hear from Gérard Lopez, who is the charismatic chef/owner of the Cambridge location. He was born in Capestang, a small town in the south of France. He learned Spanish dishes from his father, a native of Madrid, and Algerian food from his mother, a French woman raised in North Africa. According to the website, "He brings to his kitchen the passion of a Spaniard, the sensibilities of a Frenchman and an international palate." (Yum.) According to his colleagues at the restaurant, he's a much-beloved live wire.

We're also honored to have Stephanie Scott and Yashvinee Narechania joing us for the evening from Room to Read headquarters in San Francisco.

If these wonderful speakers aren't enough to get you out the door, perhaps our silent auction items will tempt you. We'll be offering the following and more:

• Tickets to a Red Sox/Yankees game (date TBD)
• Dinner gift certificates to Elephant Walk
• Cooking classes at Elephant Walk
• Accommodations for a weekend in Provincetown
• Wine tasking with Stonehenge Winery
• Tickets to the ICA and Children's Museum
• Photo sitting for a family portrait
• Dinner for two at Grill 23
• Accommodations for a weekend at Naswa Resort, Laonica, NH

Buy your tickets in advance for $25 at this link; $30 at the door.