Sawasdee ka! (Hello),

 
My real Thai name is Naphatsawan "นภัสวรรณ", but my nickname (all Thais have a nickname, usually one simple syllable) is "Belle".  Here I am with my Mom, Dad, Grandma and Grandpa at home in Khonkaen, Thailand.

Anyone who knows me knows one thing for sure... I LOVE TO COOK THAI FOOD! From the time I was able to hold my own spoon as an infant, I was helping in the kitchen, or so I'm told. Thai cooking in my family is not just a skill, it is a form of art. For generations, my family has produced a long line of excellent Thai cooks. My grandmother and her mother taught my mother, and my mother and my grandmother taught me, along with many other elders in my village. I was raised in Khonkaen, the capital of the Northeast (Issan), and the heart of "Ahaan Issan" (Northeastern Thai Food).

 
At age 18, I moved to Bangkok to attend Rangsit University, where I majored in Business Administration, minored in Computer Information Systems and excelled in Thai Cooking! I was always being asked to attend private home dinner parties, not so much for my fun, outgoing personality (well, maybe a little?), but because everyone started hearing about the endless Thai dishes I knew how to prepare! In no time at all, I learned all of the Central Thailand dishes. During 7 years residing in Bangkok, I had the opportunity to travel extensively to all areas of Thailand (and even Cambodia, where I learned about Khmer food), learning how to prepare Southern Thai cuisine in Phuket, Northern Thai cuisine in Chiang Mai, and just about every other Thai dish in between.
 

 
One of the most important things I emphasize in Thai cooking is our tendency to avoid recipes, and exact measurements. You really must rely on your senses, and taste and sample as you go. Unlike many Western recipes, where you put everything into the bowl at the same time, in exact, measured amounts, in Thai cooking, we gradually add ingredients to taste and smell. Some ingredients cook faster than others, so the order of ingredients is important. Where Westerners may use salt, we may use fish sauce, and you will see us adding this staple ingredient regularly while we cook! A few mint leaves here, and a spoonful of palm sugar there and we are on our way to an incredbily delicious meal (arroy mahk mahk!) I will quickly teach you how to rely on your taste buds, instead of a recipe book to achieve nothing less than extraordinary results. 

Many people enjoy my Thai cooking lessons, while others like to have romantic dinners at home where they don't have to do a single thing, other than enjoy their food, and each other. For these gatherings, I can simply act as your personal chef, with as little or as much personal contact as you desire. Many couples also like to entertain, and invite other couples, and/or friends and families over for an evening of Thai food and culture. In addition to Thai cooking, I am also a trained, Traditional Thai Dancer. I have an authentic Thai costume for this beautiful dance, which adds an elegant touch of Thai culture to your delicious Thai meal!

Whether it is Private Home Cooking Classes, Catering, Personal Chef Services, Gourmet Thai Dinner Delivery or Traditional Thai Dancing, I am prepared to bring Thailand cuisine and culture to you... and you to Thailand... in your own home ...and "Mai Pen Rai" (Don't Worry), I promise not to make you eat any "malaang" (bugs)... unless you want to try?!...