I first fell in love with Thai food as a teenager. I loved the sweet, salt, sour and spice that is synonymous with Thai cuisine. The more I ate it, the more I loved it. It wasn’t until college, however, that I really dove deep into the cuisine and culture and gained a greater understanding and appreciation for Thai food.
At Kendall College, I took a two week Thai master class taught by two chefs from Thailand. It introduced me to all kinds of different Thai dishes and cooking methods, as well as ingredients I was not familiar with. It introduced me to regional Thai cuisines and their unique differences, as well as inspiring me to travel to Thailand later that year.
In Thailand, I had the most incredible food experiences of my life! Thailand was the first trip I took just for me. I went alone, and did exactly what I wanted to do and ate what I wanted to eat. I had curries, stir-fries, noodles, soups, salads, sausages, and most importantly, rice. I also spent a week in a Karen village in northern Thailand volunteering at an elephant sanctuary. The Karen are a tribe of people in southeast Asia that inhabit northern Thailand and southeast Myanmar. Being with the Karen tribe was a once in a lifetime experience, where I had the opportunity to live as they do in their village. Their food was unlike anything I had ever experienced before. It was so unique to their culture, tribe and region.
Navigating Thailand on my own at 20 gave me a huge sense of accomplishment and independence, therefore Thailand will always have a special place in my heart. I love Thailand and Thai food; and in the years since I was there I have been studying, reading, eating, cooking, and soaking up as much as I can about Thai cuisine.
I am very excited to be a part of The Chopping Block’s Chef Dinner series! Hosting this Chef’s dinner with Chef Jason Garland means having an opportunity to share my knowledge and love of Thai cuisine with others. My dinner will be six courses, focusing on the cuisine of northern Thailand and its cultural hub, Chiang Mai City.
- "Northern Style" Pork Sausage on Lemongrass Skewers with Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce: Pork sausage with lemongrass, ginger, galangal, and garlic on skewers and grilled, served with sweet, vinegary and mildly spicy sauce.
- Grilled Head-On Prawns with Lemongrass-Coconut Broth: Whole grilled prawns in a coconut cream based broth with lemongrass and garlic.
- Charred Red Curry-Marinated Thai Eggplant with Pickled Cherry Tomatoes: Grilled eggplant with pickled tomato-round Thai eggplants marinated in red curry paste, grilled, and served with pickled cherry tomatoes.
- Thai Beef with Laab Salad Relish and Grilled Sticky Rice: Thinly sliced grilled flank steak with herbs and shallots, tossed with a fish sauce and lime juice dressing, nestled on top of sticky rice that has been lightly grilled.
- Tamarind And Garlic-Glazed Whole Sea Bass with Chili and Cilantro: Whole fish, deep fried and drizzled with a tamarind garlic glaze, garnished with cilantro and julienne chilis, served family style for four with jasmine rice.
- Dessert: Coconut Custard with Caramelized Bananas and Sugar-Sesame Coated Peanuts: Coconut milk custard, served with palm sugar caramelized bananas and sesame and sugar coated peanuts. Hot Thai tea will finish the meal.
