Yes, Chef! Thai Chef and Restaurateur Ian Kittichai of Issaya Siamese Club

Asia is one food-crazy continent! We take great care to pick restaurants based on culinary vibes, rankings on international gourmand guides, mentions in magazines, Instagrammability, and added hunger. Yes, Chef! features the region’s chefs’ stories of love and labour in kitchens that have made some of our restaurants the next big thing in Asia.

If you've ever set foot in Thailand or had the pleasure of calling it home, chances are you have your own delightful story to tell about Thai curries.

One of Thailand's culinary elite, Chef Pongtawat "Ian Kittichai" Chalermkittichai, was once a young kid who went from peddling piping hot curries on the streets to earning a high-end spot.

Chef Ian takes pride in recounting his humble origins — a kid dutifully tagging along with his mother to the bustling wet market before heading off to school. Little did he know that his usual routine as a child would set the stage for his culinary journey.

Venturing far from the streets where he once peddled flavoursome curries, he found himself refining his skills in the culinary landscapes of London and Sydney, including an apprenticeship at Claude's, a renowned French fine dining establishment in Australia. Chef Ian described this experience as nothing short of "hands-on, real-life training" where he mastered the execution of various cooking techniques.

The Beat Asia caught up with Chef Ian to learn more about his journey as an executive chef and co-owner of some of the most lauded restaurants in Thailand, Taipei, Singapore, and the United States.

As one of the world's most renowned chefs, is there an aspect of your personality or journey that you believe is pivotal to your current success but might be lesser-known to the public?

I think what a lot of people do not know or see is my team. They are the reason I can open restaurants, appear in front of a camera, write cookbooks, consult with clients, and do all of the things I have the honour of doing. Some members of my team have been with me for over 20 years. They are my backbone.

How do you manage to maintain a consistent culinary identity while adjusting to different cultures?

I keep fundamental Thai ingredients and flavours but work with different local (whenever possible) proteins that fit with the culinary textures and palate of the country I am cooking in.

I also need to be aware of climates, humidity, etc. in the timing of the cooking techniques I want to use. If I want to use a traditional Thai cooking technique in a colder, dryer climate, I may need to change how long I have to dry or cook something, just like pastry chefs or bakery chefs need to do when working in different climates.

What are the challenges you've encountered when working with clients from diverse cultures, and how do you solve them to make things work?

My team and I are experienced working in different countries and with people in different roles across diverse industries, so part of our job is to adjust and rise to challenges. We have to be willing to learn and to be respectful of different cultures and ways of doing business.

Communication is key to understand each other. When I say communication, it is not only knowing things such as when to be direct or diplomatic, these days it is also the method of communication. This seems simple but now even the acceptable mode of communication differs from country to country, person to person — for example, in-person versus video call versus email versus WhatsApp versus LINE, etc.

Can you further elaborate on the concept of your acclaimed restaurant, Issaya Siamese Club?

The concept was built around my personal culinary experiences in Thai cuisine, which are quite diverse — from cooking with my mom and pushing a food cart as a child, training with some of the top chefs in the world, being the Executive Chef of Four Seasons Bangkok, to opening my first restaurant in New York City. All these influence the food concept at Issaya.

My culinary journey is combined with the beauty of the century-old villa and gardens, which include our own Thai herb garden, that Issaya is located in. All these elements were combined to create the concept. Issaya is the first Thai cuisine restaurant I opened in Thailand.

Can you share the inspiration behind creating the Issaya Siamese Club Cookbook?

I wanted to share the Issaya experience beyond the reach of physical dining in the restaurant; for people to see Thai food differently than what they may be used to seeing at their local Thai restaurant, and to be able to create experiences and memories of their own at home.

Your cookbook has 81 recipes from Issaya. How did you choose these recipes, and what made you pick them to show different types of Thai food?

The team and I chose recipes that first start with the basics of Thai cuisine and build more complex dishes. Some of the dishes featured are my signature dishes that have not only appeared on Issaya’s menus but also on some of my other restaurants’ menus globally. We also chose dishes that gave a whole dining experience that reflect a whole menu, from sauces and pastes to starters, salads and soups to mains, vegetarian dishes, and finally desserts.

Among your culinary creations, which of them is your favourite and what makes it particularly special to you?

If I had to pick one or two, I would say the Kradook Moo (baby back ribs) and Yum Hua Plee (banana blossom salad).

I created my first Kradook Moo dish in my first restaurant in New York City. I was inspired by the love of baby back ribs in the United States. It is a great protein to work with, very flavourful and versatile.

Yum Hua Plee is traditionally a Royal Thai cuisine salad. In my approach to this dish, I wanted a more modern fine dining look and feel. I add heart of palm for a different balance of flavours and textures, and the plating is a bit colourful and delicate.

What parts of Thai cuisine do you like the most and find really interesting?

Thai cuisine is so diverse and has such depth and history to it. It is distinctly different in each of the four regions — Central (where I am from), North, Northeast, and South.

Restaurant staff training is mentioned as one of your services. How do you and your team make sure the training fits each restaurant's needs?

In addition to my own restaurants, I have a food & beverage consulting company, Cuisine Concept Co. Ltd., that I co-founded in 2008. We work with all types of clients — restaurants, hotels, food companies, airlines, media, film production companies, etc. — globally.

Since we work in a business-to-business capacity, the public will not know of our work in this company. We have a dedicated team of chefs, project management professionals, kitchen design experts, market research professionals, etc. Since all our services are tailormade to each clients’ situation and business, one of the core things we do is to make sure the training and services fit each client’s unique needs and desires for their business.

What's one game-changing life hack you would like to share with aspiring chefs?

I would share two things with aspiring chefs:

1) Learn your culinary fundamentals and put in the time and work to master them in real-life kitchens. Work every level of a kitchen job and work every station — hands-on experience cannot be replaced. You cannot really “fake it until you make it” in a kitchen and as a chef because if your skill level and actual work product don’t match your CV, it will become obvious.

2) Take care of your physical and mental health. Working in the hospitality industry and in kitchens is highly stressful and the long hours can take a toll on your body and mind. If you want a long, successful, and healthy career as a chef, you need to look after yourself. I have seen many chefs and colleagues burn out or worse from overwork, poor eating habits, drinking too much alcohol, taking drugs, and leading unhealthy lifestyles.

To learn more about Chef Ian’s restaurants and latest ventures, visit his official website or follow him on Instagram.

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