New documentary "Cambodian Futures" spotlights Chicago chef Ethan Lim

Backstory: When Lim's family came to Chicago in the '80s, they opened Chinese restaurants serving dishes like orange chicken instead of the more complex Cambodian foods they ate at home.

• When he took over one of the family eateries, he insisted on incorporating those home flavors in a style exploring how Cambodian cuisine might have evolved if the Civil War had never happened.
• The vibrant dishes of herb-paste marinated fried chicken, whitefish rillette and Cambodian steak frites have made his multi-course Hermosa "family meals" one of the hottest tickets in town.

What he's saying: This shows "we don't necessarily have to put a burger or tots and chicken nuggets on the menu," he tells Axios. "Instead we can just embrace the flavors that we love.

• "And if ingredients are prepared and treated properly there's an audience that will embrace it."

Get smart: Diners can sign up by emailing [email protected] to get notified when family meal reservations are released.

• They can also visit the restaurant for lunch, when Lim sells a limited number of his famous Cambodian fried chicken sandwiches.

Chef's night off: When not eating at his own place, Lim goes to Siam Noodle & Rice for papaya salad and basil chicken, he says.