Portrait of an Artist: Louis Singh
photo by Rebecca McInroySix years ago Louis Singh was sitting in a cubical feeling unfulfilled in his job at a non-profit organization in Austin, Texas. He checked Craigslist for other possibilities and found an ad for a job in the catering department of P&K Grocery, a small grocery store that was about to open in Austin. Having no experience on paper as a chef, Singh took a shot in the dark and applied for the job.
“At that point I had really no experience cooking in a professional kitchen,” Louis said, “but I was immersed in it. I would watch, read and talk to people about cooking as much as I could.”
He got a job slicing meats in the deli of P&K and within a few months he was managing the catering department. In November of 2007 the store closed and he started his own catering company with some friends.
Now he single-handedly runs the local organic catering company Dish a Licious. They specialize in preparing seasonal comfort food that comes directly from local organic farms. He is currently partnering with Richardson Farms and Johnson’s Backyard Garden’s with the goal of using 100% organic local food in all the Dish a Licious items.
Singh credits his passion for food and cooking to his mother and her determination to cook wholesome fresh meals for her family of six everyday, even though she worked full-time.
His family gatherings still revolve around cuisine. His mom’s “famous pho” and other traditional Vietnamese dishes are staples. For special events she cooks the family favorites from morning to night.
Louis Singh talked with us about his passion for cooking, his food philosophy, and the responsibility he feels to honor his parents and their story through food.
