Just as good together as roast duckling and apple

Emmy Fitri ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Sun, 04/13/2008 12:35 PM  |  On the Town

Chefs Patchareekorn Seehawat (left) and chefs Kanchana Nakanansilp (right). (JP/P.J. Leo)

Some say food is good and healthy if it is cooked with love, others go by the old Bahasa saying Dari perut turun ke hati (love can come from food).

Chefs who are passionate about their work cook meals that are not only filling but satisfying.

Patchareenkorn "Apple" Seehawat and Kanchana "Jeab" Nakananship, Thai chefs from the Bangkok Marriot Resort & Spa, are in Jakarta from April 11-20, tempting our taste buds with their cooking.

Of course there are many Thai restaurants in town, but it's a rare chance indeed to taste Thai cuisine that is prepared by master chefs.

Cooking is both a family affair and a job for Apple. Her mother is a cook in the U.S. and her siblings are chefs in European hotels.

"I live with my grandmother in Bangkok. And she is the one who cooks for me," Apple said with a giggle.

A graduate of the Hotel and Tourism Training Institute in Chonbury, Apple said she had aspired to be a chef partly because she knew what to expect.

"But trust me -- chefs may display their skills in the hotel kitchen but when they get home they want food that has been cooked by a family member.

"In my case, it's my grandmother," she said.

Jeap agreed: "When I get home from work my mother always asks me what I want to eat. Usually I just shrug my shoulders and say 'I'll eat whatever's on the table.'"

(JP/P.J. Leo)

Jeab hails from Ratchaburi and graduated from the International Hotel and Tourism Industry Institute in Bangkok.

"In many hotels or restaurants (in Bangkok) most chefs for original Thai food are female because our food is best cooked by women. At an early age, girls are trained to cook for their families. Thai food generally uses the same herbs and spices, the difference is in the quantities," said Jeab who admitted to a noodle obsession that could spell trouble in noodle-loving Jakarta.

Most Thai food, Apple said, was healthy because of the various herbs used in the dishes."Take lemongrass for instance. We use it for many kind of dishes. It's good for the digestion."

Jeab and Apple said they were lucky to get so much freedom in the kitchen to try out new recipes.

Jeab, which means small duckling in Thai, said she had been with the Marriot for two years; Apple, for seven.

Jeab and Apple said they came up against many challenges as women working in a hotel kitchen.

"Imagine. We have to be able to move around big pots or huge pans as fast as male chefs. We have to be able to do that without asking for help because the kitchen is always hectic," Apple said.

"But I can do that. You have to trust me," Jeab said with a laugh.

She said that when she was an infant, she was "like a small duck", while Apple is as round-cheeked as her nickname suggests.

"Jeab is an itik," Apple quickly said, referring to duckling.

The two are a solid team. "Nooooo", they answered, almost in unison, to the question of whether marriage was on the cards for either of them.

An opportunity to demonstrate their skills in another country would never be wasted by these young chefs. "It's an opportunity because we still have to learn more and more. We always have new ideas when we come back from other hotels. We usually share and help each other by trying out new ideas. Men don't work in the same way, I think," Apple said.

When asked about their favorite foods, Jeab said firmly it's noodles, while Apple took a moment to think.

"She eats everything, really," Jeab said with a wink.

"Songkran in Jakarta"
From April 11-20,
at Airlangga Restaurant
The Ritz-Carlton, Jakarta
Jl. Lingkar Mega Kuningan Kav E.1.1 No. 1
Mega Kuningan, South Jakarta
Tel: 25518888

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