This über-cool chef wins the 50 Best Icon Award
Professional chefs at expensive restaurants compete for the title of ‘best chef in Asia’, but this year someone who in no way fits that standard image has won an award. She’s neither young nor hip, she doesn’t have a fancy restaurant and she’s never attended culinary school. What she does have: a Michelin star and the honorary title ’50 Best Icon Award’.
The award is presented each year to the most iconic chef, ahead of the announcement of the fifty best restaurants in Asia. This year, the prize goes to 74-year-old Supinya Junsuta. Her restaurant Raan Jay Fai in Bangkok looks like more or less any other simple eatery in the city. With one difference: at Supinya’s, nicknamed Jay Fai, there’s a long queue stretching well past the corner, and if you haven’t made a reservation, you’ll need plenty of patience before you’re allowed to sit at a wobbly little table. The menu naturally features Thai classics, as well as her own signature dish: an omelet filled with crab.
Crab omelet
You may know Jay Fai from the Netflix series Street Food, from Anthony Bourdain’s documentaries or from the television adventures of Sergio Herman in Thailand. She started her restaurant after her tailoring business went up in flames. She taught herself how to cook and bake, and over time combined techniques to put her own spin on authentic Thai dishes. She is overjoyed with the award. ‘I’m grateful that my hard work and craftsmanship have been recognised by the jury,’ she says. ‘This is truly an incredible honour for an ordinary cook like me.’
Michelin star
On TripAdvisor, there are not only stars and compliments, but also complaints about Jay Fai: waiting too long, tables that are too small, and is that omelet really worth 40 euros? Absolutely, believe her fellow professionals, who have awarded Jay Fai the prize. She previously received a Michelin star, becoming the first street restaurant in the world ever to do so. And Jay? Tomorrow she’ll simply be back in her restaurant wok-frying, wearing her baggy apron, bright red lipstick and trademark diving goggles. We’re already comparing ticket prices, because as soon as travel is allowed again, we want to taste that crab omelet at a wobbly little table at Jay’s as soon as possible!
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Source: Fine Dining Lovers
