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Chef Christina Arokiasamy Image

About Founder

Christina Arokiasamy
(Aro Keeya Samee)

Christina Arokiasamy, hailing from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, has earned widespread recognition for her remarkable culinary talents, expertise in spices, and her success as an award-winning cookbook author. With an extensive background as a former chef at various Four Seasons Resorts across Southeast Asia, and as former official Malaysia’s Food Ambassador to the United States, she brings over 25 years of world-class culinary experience to her craft. However, her journey began long before she achieved international acclaim.

Growing Up Among the Aromas

As a young schoolgirl in Kuala Lumpur, the alluring aromas of spices permeated Christina’s home, leaving an indelible mark on her life. She cherishes the memories of being known as the “girl with yellow hands” at school, a result of her helping her mother prepare ground turmeric at the nearby mill. Cooking, intricately connected to the spice business, became an integral part of her daily life, fueling her passion for the cuisine.

The Professional Chef​

In partnership with The Cooking Channel, Christina hosted the program “The Malaysian Kitchen” after 2015, captivating over 80 million viewers across the United States. The show aimed to showcase the exotic and flavorful blends born from the spice trade and steeped in tradition. Her efforts significantly contributed to elevating Malaysian cuisine to one of the top three flavor trends in America, as recognized by The National Restaurant Association. Not only did her expert knowledge in spices make waves on various international media platforms, including Oprah.com, Huffington Post, CBS, NBC News, Fox News, The New York Times, The Food Network Magazine, and Yahoo News, but it also inspired her to pen her acclaimed cookbook, “The Malaysian Kitchen: 150 Recipes for Simple Home Cooking,” published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in New York in 2017. The book garnered immense praise and earned a spot on Amazon’s Top 10 Cookbooks of 2017.

Her debut cookbook, “The Spice Merchant’s Daughter,” published by Clarkson Potter in New York in 2008, received accolades from NPR, listing it among the top ten cookbooks in the USA. It received a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly and garnered attention from The Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal, and The Boston Globe.

Sharing The Cultural Kitchen

Christina’s passion for the cultural cuisine of immigrants runs deep, rooted in a life steeped in spices and enriched by her family’s heritage as 5th-generation spice merchants who have traded these precious commodities since the era of the British East India Company. As a spice expert, she skillfully incorporates a wide array of fresh spices like turmeric, chilies, cumin, coriander, and cardamom, expertly blending them with aromatic delights such as galangal, lemongrass, ginger, tamarind, and curry leaves to create unique and deeply-layered flavors. Unlike other Southeast Asian cuisines, Christina’s culinary creations exhibit a harmonious balance, avoiding an overwhelming spicy heat.
Professional Chef - Christina Arokiasamy
Currently residing in the Pacific Northwest with her family, Christina finds immense joy in sharing her cultural kitchen with Americans. She accomplishes this by leading cooking classes and culinary market tours to various Southeast Asian destinations and in King County, Washington, offering participants an insider experience into the vibrant world of immigrant cuisine.