Austin's First Light Books often hosts author events within the cozy green and white walls of their bookstore, but this time they're hosting an author with a name so big, they're taking things to The Paramount's Stateside Theater. Celebrity chef Roy Choi will present his new book in conversation with pitmaster Aaron Franklin on April 22.
Choi is a celebrated chef based in Los Angeles, and now he's celebrating the release of The Choi of Cooking.
This cookbook focuses on healthy foods that fuel the body, and is described as Choi's "magnum opus" by publisher Penguin Random House. "When Choi realized that falling victim to his greasy cravings was not sustainable, he began to eat more nutritious foods — but he did it his way, to build a more realistic lifestyle not based on extreme dieting or deprivation," says the book's description.
Both Choi and Franklin are known for having great screen and stage chemistry with other chefs and presenters. First Light Books must be preparing for a big crowd, because this venue change marks a significant increase in capacity.
Choi trained at the Culinary Institute of America and worked with Le Bernardin and the Beverly Hills Hilton, but he's best known for opening up a taco truck combining Korean and Mexican flavors back in 2008. This food truck, Kogi, used Twitter to let Angelenos know where it would be parked next, and grew so wildly popular that Newsweek called it "the first viral eatery."
Suddenly, Choi was in the spotlight. He was all over the media and even acted as the culinary advisor in Jon Favreau's film, Chef.
Choi highlighted details like this in his first book, a memoir and cookbook called L.A. Son: My Life, My City, My Food, which he co-wrote with Tien Nguyen and Natasha Phan in 2013.
More than a decade has passed since the release of this first book, and a lot has happened. Choi has since starred in Netflix's The Chef Show, he's opened a brick and mortar restaurant in Las Vegas, and now, he's partnered up with Tien Nguyen and Natasha Phan once again for The Choi of Cooking.
For the First Light Books chat, guests can either purchase a ticket that includes a signed copy of The Choi of Cooking ($53), or simply buy a ticket to the event without purchasing the book ($21). Aside from a lively conversation between two friends and culinary icons, First Light Books promises some additional "fun things to make this more than your typical author talk."
The Choi of Cooking, A Conversation with Roy Choi and Aaron Franklin will be held at the Paramount's Stateside Theater on April 22 at 7 pm.
