Meet Pailin “Pai” Chongchitnant of Hot Thai Kitchen
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Pailin “Pai” Chongchitnant is the creator and host of the YouTube Thai cooking show Hot Thai Kitchen and the website HotThaiKitchen.com. She's also the author of the Hot Thai Kitchen cookbook.
Pai was born and raised in southern Thailand where she spent much of her time in the kitchen helping with family meals. She traveled to Canada to study Nutritional Sciences at the University of British Columbia, and was later trained as a chef at Le Cordon Bleu culinary school in San Francisco.
Pai was born and raised in southern Thailand where she spent much of her time in the kitchen helping with family meals. She traveled to Canada to study Nutritional Sciences at the University of British Columbia, and was later trained as a chef at Le Cordon Bleu culinary school in San Francisco.
After working in both Western and Thai professional kitchens, she decided that her passion really lies in educating and empowering others to cook and sharing her home cuisine and culture with the world. So she decided to start a YouTube cooking show which has been running for over 10 years.
She currently lives in Vancouver, and goes to Thailand regularly to visit her family.
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What inspired you to start your community work / brand?
I had always been passionate about food and cooking, and had a knack for public speaking, so a cooking show always appealed to me ever since I discovered them as a teen. After having moved to North America, I became frustrated by the Westernized Thai food that is available, and wondered why we don't share the "real" stuff with the world. So I decided to channel my frustration into my YouTube channel where I'm passionate about sharing authentic Thai recipes, along with any cultural tidbits, in the hopes that more people will know how great and diverse Thai food is.
Why is the work you do through your platform so important?
There are many Thai people living in the US and Canada, yet our culture and cuisine are rarely correctly represented in the media. YouTube has allowed people from anywhere to put themselves on the map, and do it in a way that is respectful and true to the culture. I think it also inspires other people of colour to not be afraid to put themselves out there no matter how "niche" they think their field of expertise is.
What is your favorite dish? Is there a story behind it?
There are 2. Shrimp paste fried rice and kao mun gai. Shrimp paste fried rice is one of those dishes you'll never find in Thai restaurants here, but it is an amazing combination of flavours and textures that I think is so key to Thai cuisine. Kao mun gai or Hainanese chicken rice is a specialty of my grandmother, who is indeed from Hainan, so beyond the fact that is absolutely delicious, it's also food that really reminds me of my family.
What does courage mean to you?
Courage takes many forms, but one that I've been thinking more about is saying no to "good opportunities" that you know don't align with what you believe in, or even what you want. It's hard and I've made many wrong calls, because you feel like you might be missing out, or this might be a stepping stone to somewhere, or you want to be in someone's good book. But betraying yourself always ends in regret in the long run.
Where can we expect to see you in the next few years?
Same place you can find me now, but I have a new cookbook scheduled to come out Spring 2023 :)
Thank you so much Pai for sharing your story with us! Tuk Tuk Box is proud to exclusively feature Southeast Asian ingredients and include refugee, migrant, and generational stories in every box.
If you or someone you know wants to share their story with us, send us an email: hello@tuktukbox.com. Stay tuned for future stories and the newest products by subscribing to our mailing list.
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Thank you so much Pai for sharing your story with us! Tuk Tuk Box is proud to exclusively feature Southeast Asian ingredients and include refugee, migrant, and generational stories in every box.
If you or someone you know wants to share their story with us, send us an email: hello@tuktukbox.com. Stay tuned for future stories and the newest products by subscribing to our mailing list.
