Today we’d like to introduce you to Hathaichanok (Nikki) Bunyaraksh.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was born and raised in Bangkok, Thailand. After finishing my undergrad, I came to the US for further studying. During the time I was studying here, my roommates were the ones in charge of cooking. They are very good cooks and I always viewed myself as a dishwasher. Until I got married and my roommates went back to Thailand for good. Now it was time for me to cook for myself and my husband. I missed all the Thai dishes my roommates have cooked, so I slowly learned how to cook Thai food myself. It didn’t look and taste good at the beginning, but I started to enjoy doing it. I wanted to improve my skills, so every time I go back to Thailand I will take cooking classes. I have brought back many cookbooks with me.
Along with Thai cooking, I also enjoy fruit and vegetable carving. The more I do, the more I figured out that I was falling in love with it. After studying and practicing for a while, I had a thought that I wanted to share the knowledge with other people. Living in the US, I’ve been asked about Thai food and culture a lot. I’ve learned that people love Thai food and they also want to know how to cook. Finally in 2017, I opened my door to teach private classes of Thai cooking and fruit & vegetable carving.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Life is not a bed of roses. I have faced challenging times like others. At the beginning it was hard to execute my plans or ideas. That was my first enemy; myself. I wasn’t sure if I was good enough to do this. Lucky me that I have people around me helping to support me emotionally and boost up my confidence. I started to build the website and take picture of what I cook. My friends helped to spread the word. Some people are skeptical of what I am doing; they didn’t believe that I can do it for real. However, I tried to put it behind and focus on my vision; I wanted people to know more about Thai food and our culture. Now I am better at listening to my heart and following my dreams.
Baipoh – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
My business is a cooking studio specialized in Thai cooking and fruit & vegetable carving. I teach mainly one on one or a private class. I take time to teach people how to prepare ingredients and cook step by step. I show them which ingredient is good and suitable for each dish. For example soy sauce; everybody knows soy sauce but do they know which one is proper for cooking Thai fried rice? Most of the time the answer is no.
I also recommend them good places to go get the ingredients. I pay very close attention to details. Unlike a typical cooking classes that they try to pack as many people as possible or just teach by following the recipe without knowing how to really cook Thai food.
Taking a class with me, people will also learn the story or history behind Thai dishes. I like to tell the story and explain our culture since I believe that is a part of cooking. Every dish of every cuisine has its story and origin.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
When I see people are happy with their Thai cooking. The smile means they are satisfied. Some people sent me an email afterward showing their Thai cooking at home or a beautiful artwork of fruit and vegetable carving. When they said they did it for family or friends and people liked it, that put a smile on my face.
Contact Info:
- Address: 2601 Gramercy Street Houston, TX 77030
- Website: www.baipoh.com
- Phone: 7132778233
- Email: baipoh.authentic@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/baipohcookingschool/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BaiPohAuthentic/
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