In the latest episode of “What’s Eric Eating,” editor Eric Sandler of CultureMap invites friends and colleagues of Alex Au-Yeung to share their remembrances of him. Au-Yeung, the renowned chef and restaurateur of Katy’s popular Malaysian restaurant Phat Eatery, unfortunately lost his battle with cancer last month at 52.
On the show are: Terry Wong, co-owner of Blood Bros. BBQ; Stevie Vu, director of operations for the Asia Society, Texas; former restaurant owner and commercial real estate broker Thomas Nguyen; Abbas Dhanani, owner of Burger Bodega; local food connoisseur Felice Sloan; publicist Isabel Protomatir. They all share how Au-Yeung enriched their lives.
The conversation kicks off with Wong and Vu articulating Au-Yeung’s culinary journey and evolution from a Malaysian restaurant owner in Chinatown to launching Phat Eatery in 2018. Sloan, who has a personal connection to the chef, recounts fond memories with him, and his truly caring nature.
Nguyen extends about how Au-Yeung’s sincerity also extended to his staff that was guided by directors of operations at Phat Eatery, Marvin He and Kevin Lee.
“It wasn’t only Marvin and Kevin. He genuinely formed relationships with the entire staff, some of whom have been working there for years. That level of loyalty is rare in the industry. They respect and support him not just out of obligation, but out of a real place of love,” says Nguyen.
“He had an infectious personality that everyone loved. We all connected with him on a personal level. It makes his loss even more difficult. He was more than an acquaintance who turned up at events. He had a way of making others feel visible and important.”
Dhanani relives how Au-Yeung was there for him with timely advice and words of encouragement while he was building Burger Bodega. Au-Yeung even praised him to Dhanani’s father at a pop-up event. Au-Yeung’s acts of kindness were always abound.
“On one eventful day at a Have a Nice Day pop-up, during Ramadan, when I was observing the fast, he kept a dumpling aside for me to break my fast. That says a lot about the kind of person chef Alex was.”
In the full episode, the group also addresses how Phat Eatery is faring with the upcoming inauguration of its second location in The Woodlands. Learn more about Au-Yeung from his podcast interviews in 2019 and 2023.
The second episode of the week sees Sandler and co-host Michael Fulmer discussing the current happenings. They delve into the 2024 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards winners along with new restaurant openings, Late August and Bar Bludorn.
During the restaurant talk segment, Fulmer and Sandler start off by commenting on their dining experience at Prime 131, Berg Hospitality’s latest live fire steakhouse in Timbergrove. Favourable dishes, service, and ambience are a few highlights of the discussion.
The dialogue then moves on to Pizzana, a brand-new pizzeria in the River Oaks Shopping Center backed by celebrity influence. Tune in to learn about their favoured pizzas and how Pizzana matches up to local favourites.
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Catch “What’s Eric Eating” on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or any other podcast platform. Also, tune in Sundays at 9 am on ESPN 97.5.
On this week’s episode of “What’s Eric Eating,” CultureMap editor Eric Sandler invites some of Alex Au-Yeung’s friends and colleagues to share memories him. The chef and restaurateur behind Katy’s acclaimed Malaysian restaurant Phat Eatery died last month at age 52 after a battle with cancer.
Joining Sandler on the episode are: Blood Bros. BBQ co-owner Terry Wong, Asia Society, Texas director of operations Stevie Vu, commercial real estate broker and former restaurant owner Thomas Nguyen, Burger Bodega owner Abbas Dhanani, local food expert Felice Sloan, and publicist Isabel Protomatir. As they explain, Au-Yeung touched all of their lives in ways big and small.
The conversation begins with Wong and Vu sharing Au-Yeung’s progress as a chef and the path that led him from operating a Malaysian restaurant in Chinatown to opening Phat Eatery in 2018. Sloan shares a story about her personal connection to the chef, and the way he showed sincere concern for people.
As Nguyen elaborates, that sincerity applied to everyone Au-Yeung came into contact with, including his staff, which is lead by Phat Eatery directors of operations Kevin Lee and Marvin He.
“It’s not just Marvin and Kevin. The whole staff there, he built relationships with them. A lot of them have been there for many years. It’s hard to find that in the industry. His staff are going to bat for him. It’s not a transaction. They’re doing it because there’s a lot of love there,” Nguyen says.
“He was a guy they loved to be with. That we all developed relationships with. That’s why it’s really difficult. He was more than a guy who hung out at these events. He made you feel seen.”
Dhanani recalls that Au-Yeung offered him advice and encouragement as he developed Burger Bodega. He even complimented the up-and-coming chef to Dhanani’s father when they met at a pop-up. Au-Yeung showed kindness in other ways, too.
“Fast forward to a Have a Nice Day pop-up. It was Ramadan. I was fasting. He said, ‘hey Abbas, I know you’re fasting, let me save you a dumpling for when you break your fast.’ I think that speaks to the kind of person chef Alex was.”
Listen to the full episode to hear the group discuss how Phat Eatery will fare as it prepares to open its second location in The Woodlands. For more from Au-Yeung, listen to his podcast appearances in 2019 and 2023.
On this week’s other episode, Sandler and co-host Michael Fulmer discuss the news of the week. Their topics include the winners of the 2024 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards as well as the recent openings of Late August and Bar Bludorn.
In the restaurants of the week segment, Fulmer and Sandler begin their conversation by discussing their meal at Prime 131, Berg Hospitality’s new live fire steakhouse in Timbergrove. They share some favorite dishes and discuss the service and atmosphere.
From there, they turn to Pizzana, the celebrity-backed pizzeria that recently opened in the River Oaks Shopping Center. Tune in to hear their favorite pies and how the California-based restaurant compares to their local favorites.
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Subscribe to “What’s Eric Eating” on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hear it Sunday at 9 am on ESPN 97.5.