Andy Ricker’s top 10

Pok Pok by Andy Ricker is a popular and highly-rated book among EYB members. Now Ricker’s fans can learn more about the dishes that inspired his career in this First We Feast interview. A native of Vermont, Ricker started cooking at a young age. But it wasn’t until he opened Pok Pok in Portland, Oregon that his popularity soared. He hasn’t looked back since, opening a Brooklyn, New York location plus a couple of spin off restaurants in Portland (Pok Pok Noi and Sen Yai Noodles), two bars, and of course the cookbook named after the restaurant. He’s currently working on another two book deal. 

Not surprisingly, many Thai dishes are on Ricker’s top 10 list, but there are some foods that are quite a bit less exotic as well. He describes the first thing he ever made as “hamburger glop. It’s basically ground beef with tomato sauce and macaroni all mixed together in a pan. We lived in rural Vermont, in an old farmhouse, and one of my chores was washing dishes. But I hated washing dishes, so instead I said I would cook. I made this for a long time.”

The interview provides details about Ricker’s history prior to opening Pok Pok as well as listing the dishes important to him and his career. In addition to the “hamburger glop” discussed above, seminal dishes include cheese fondue, green curry in Thailand, and laab.

Photos of dishes from Pok Pok by Andy Ricker and J.J. Goode from the EYB Library.