8 ONO-LICIOUS | NOVEMBER 25, 2016 CHEF PROFILE CHEF TK of Owner of several restaurants in West Hawaii that bear his name, Chef Thepthikone “TK” Keosavang originally opened Lemongrass Express Waikoloa at Queens’ MarketPlace to provide visitors and residents with quality cuisine at affordable prices. Indeed, the roster of exotic offerings at Lemongrass Express are inspired by a plethora of Southeast Asian culinary influences, everything from Thai, Vietnamese and Japanese to Loation, Chinese, Filipino and Korean. The restaurant takes its name from TK’s childhood in Laos, where he loved to pick lemongrass in his grandmother’s backyard. “Even when I was a child, I always used lemongrass in my cooking,” he said. “It made sense to name my restaurant, Lemongrass Express.” Prior to opening Lemongrass Express in the Food Court at Queens’ MarketPlace, TK served as Chef de Cuisine for Brown’s Beach House at the Fairmont Orchid for almost five years beginning in 2007. Before that, he was the executive sous chef of the MGM Grand Hotel’s Shibuya Japanese Restaurant, which earned “Best Japanese Restaurant in Las Vegas” for two consecutive years during his tenure, capping off 13 years of impressive culinary achievements by TK while working at the MGM Grand. TK emigrated as a refugee from Laos via Thailand and the Philippines, eventually settling in Las Vegas in 1987. At age 16, he started working in a restaurant on the Strip prepping food. Years later, he had worked his way up from line cook to executive sous chef at the aforementioned Shibuya Japanese Restaurant. Other gigs at the MGM Grand afforded him the opportunity to work under big name chefs like Michael Jordan, who owned the renowned Rosemary off the Strip. When MGM Grand opened the Mansion restaurant, TK worked as master cook under Chef Philippe Rispoli, known later for his stewardship of Daniel Brasserie restaurant in Las Vegas. Chef TK also helped Chef Michael Mina open Nobhill in Vegas, which led to the restaurant being named best new restaurant in Las Vegas that year. Chef TK values the freedom to experiment with his style and be creative. Having experienced all facets of cooking and restaurant management in his career, he is able to translate that experience to his Big Island restaurants that include TK Noodle House in Kailua-Kona and Kainaliu, as well as TK Shabu Shabu and Sushi House in Kailua-Kona. At Lemongrass Express, Chef TK offers a great selection of lunch items, all priced at $12, such as lilikoi chicken, sambal beef, ahi poke bowls and chicken vermicelli. In addition to using lemongrass in many of his dishes, Chef TK infuses some of his cuisine with hints of kaffir lime, Thai basil, savory herbs, Asian spices, and sautéed seasonal vegetables. An array of salads is featured on the menu, including Thai shrimp salad, crispy calamari salad, and green papaya salad with shrimp. Priced at $19, the Furikake seared ahi steak salad brims with fresh greens served with spicy wasabi aioli and sweet chili sauce. Noodle sauté is also on the menu, ranging from Pad Thai and Singapore Udon to Yakisoba. The noodle soup offerings including braised oxtail noodle soup, pho beef, tom yum noodle chicken, and tempura shrimp udon. Lemongrass Express is open daily for lunch and dinner from 10:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. To view the menu, visit ChefTK.com. Since he first arrived in the Hawaii culinary scene in 2007, Chef TK Keosavang, of Lemongrass Express, has earned a reputation for creating innovative, Asian-inspired cuisine influenced. PHOTOS /KAREN ANDERSON, SPECIAL TO WEST HAWAII TODAY Lemongrass Express Waikoloa KAREN ANDERSON SPECIAL TO WEST HAWAII TODAY
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