Photo-Illustration: by The Cut; Photos: Noah Fecks, Peter Som, HarperCollins Publishers, Getty Images, Retailers
Peter Som is the Martha Stewart of his friend group. You know him as the veteran fashion designer who worked under Bill Blass and Tommy Hilfiger before launching his eponymous label in 2001, but he is also a skilled chef, part-time travel blogger, dinner-party host extraordinaire, and the designer behind his own Architectural Digest–worthy apartment. The latest addition to his lifestyle empire? A love letter to his heritage in the form of a cookbook, entitled Family Style. “I grew up in the Bay Area and spent so much of my time in the kitchen with my mother and my grandmother cooking Cantonese flavors. The book started as a tribute to them and their love of cooking for a big group, family style,” he tells the Cut. “It was how they showed love, which is something that really stuck with me.”
When his grandmother passed away about 20 years ago, Som and his family continued cooking her recipes as a way to honor her and her heritage. “Those recipes were the impetus for putting this book together,” he says. The 100-recipe cookbook blends Chinese flavors with California and New York influences. Som describes them as “pretty easy, full of flavor, and designed to be made over and over again.”
Is there a dish from your childhood that made you fall in love with cooking?
One of my fondest memories is of my grandmother’s lemon chicken; it’s something I grew up eating. My mom told me that she tested it for a week straight on the family because she wanted to get it just right. I call it “Famous Lemon Chicken” in the book, but it’s really only famous to my family. Hopefully famous to more people now that it’s in the book. It’s always been a go-to for me. It’s a dish I serve at dinner parties, maybe with a simple salad and a glass of Rombauer Sauvignon Blanc, something crisp and fresh that brings out the citrus flavors. It’s the type of big flavor, low-lift recipe that I love. I did streamline her recipe a bit because I’m a very impatient person. I hope she would approve.
Did she have all of her recipes written down, or did you have to decipher them from memory while writing the book?
It’s really kind of crazy. We found a recipe notebook of hers just recently. It was about 20 years of recipes written down. Each page was numbered and dated, from 1958 onward. It was really a time capsule of 20 years of her life. I grew up with her and was very close with her. This was a way for me to get to know her again, as an adult, through her food. That’s what sparked the entire journey of this cookbook, this very organized notebook. It’s a little treasure that I hold dearly.
How did you find the time and energy to make this career shift from fashion designer to cookbook author?
It was definitely a journey; it was a pivot, but I like to think of it more as an expansion of focus. Food was always something I did. During my crazy runway-collection years, fashion can be a little nutty; it was something I turned to all the time. I would come home after a long day at work, lock the door, put on some music, and cook something. It was really a way for me to keep my feet on the ground, so cooking was always right there with me as a way to get back to something that was simple, in a way. It took a lot of courage, but there’s a point where you just have to have faith. I realized I just had to have faith in trying something new. Cooking was something I was pretty good at. Sometimes you have to jump off the diving board and know that there is water there to catch you.
Does your fashion background help you in the kitchen?
Absolutely. There are a lot of similarities between the two, I’ve come to find. They say you eat with your eyes, right? It’s the same way when you look at a great outfit. A sweater can look great, but it also has to fit right and feel good. So too with a recipe: It has to taste great and be something you want to eat again and again. The way you put a plate together is similar to the way you put an outfit together.
What is your go-to look when hosting a dinner party?
I’m pretty consistent. I’ll usually have on a pair of Stan Smiths, Alex Mill pants (probably navy), and a Todd Snyder sweater (also probably navy). I’m really into navy, it’s just easy. That’s the uniform.
Are you the type of host who asks everyone to bring a dish, or do you handle it all?
I’ve hosted many, many dinner parties, so I can usually do it myself, no problem. I’m very organized with all my cooking. But if somebody offers to bring something, I always say yes.
What is the worst dinner party faux pas?
If someone chews with their mouth open, I just can’t deal with that. I’m super casual, but if you have savage manners, I’m not down with that.
You also have some serious interior-design skills — what is one piece of décor that you treasure and will never get rid of?
I have a copy of The Joy of Cooking from my mom, which I kind of stole from her. It’s from the mid-’70s and is used and abused in the best way possible.
What is an unexpected ingredient you always have on hand?
I seem to always have black garlic in my refrigerator. Black garlic is garlic cloves that have been taken out of their shells and kind of aged and fermented; it takes all the burn out of raw garlic. It adds umami flavor to stews and all types of savory food. It doesn’t look the most fabulous, but it’s a funny little jar that lasts a long time in my fridge.
What is the last thing you cooked for dinner?
The cheesy crab fried rice from my cookbook. I actually swapped out the crab and used tuna instead. For me, rice is life. I had that with Rombauer Chardonnay.
Sorry to ask such a difficult question, but what is your favorite restaurant in New York City?
I think I have to say my top few favorites because I’m already stressed thinking about having to narrow it down. I’m a West Villager, so Cafe Cluny is my everyday go-to. Via Carota for brunch. I love The Grill for that ultimate New York City glamour moment. I love Uncle Lou for classic Cantonese, and Phoenix Palace on Bowery Street, which is kind of a modern take on Chinese. I also like Le B in West Village for a classic jewel-box setting with fun and gorgeous fine dining.
That is a well-rounded list. What is your death-row meal?
It would be super carb-y because, at that point, I wouldn’t be wearing a swimsuit. It would have char siu, which is a barbecue-style Chinese pork dish, over fried rice. Also, chicken chow fun and probably some boa. I would also probably throw in some really good sushi, maybe Sugarfish. For dessert, I would have lots of fresh mangoes.
