Thai Chef from Phuket ThailandMy Thai Brother Sonthaya Kaepradit - 5 star Thai Chef from Phuket, Thailand.

I met Sonthaya Kaepradit in early January 2005.  His nickname is Ya.  Ya is the Thai Executive Chef at The Chedi Hotel in Phuket, Thailand.  This is one of the finest 5 star hotels in all of Thailand.  I was brought to Thailand by The Four Seasons Hotel in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand to perform as the feature entertainment for their 2004 New Years Eve Gala.  When my wife, Renee and I arrived in Bangkok on Dec 26, 2004, the Tsunami had just occurred 12 hours earlier.  We landed into a country dealing with a severe natural disaster.  After performing on New Years Eve in Chiang Mai, Renee and I were scheduled to vacation in Phuket but we were afraid to go after watching about the disaster and devastation on CNN.  My best friend Jason Friedman, from Lewis & Clark College (1995) in Portland, Oregon at the time was the Director of Rooms at The Four Season's Chiang Mai and he made a call to Daniel Meury, The GM of The Chedi Hotel in Phuket to ask Daniel if it was safe for Renee and I to come to Phuket.  Five days after the Tsunami, Daniel said the disaster had been stabilized and not only was it safe for us to come to Phuket but since approximately 80% of the tourists left Phuket and the tourism economy had been crushed during their high season, the people of Phuket would appreciate us coming and just being tourists.  So many people in Phuket lost their jobs and most of the people there make their income from tourism.

When Renee and I heard this news, we decided that there was only one choice for us.  We must got to Phuket.  At this point, I offered to perform a benefit concert at The Chedi Hotel in Phuket if they were interested in putting on a fundraiser.  The hotel thought it was a great idea and they put together a traditional 5 course Thai Dinner along with a concert by Concert Rock Violinist Aaron Meyer.  Sonthaya prepared the 5 course dinner which was absolutely fabulous.  We raised over $11,000 USD all of which went directly into 2 villages that the staff who work at The Chedi Hotel come from.  The money was used to rebuild schools and help people who lost everything.

The next year I was invited to return to play a 2nd annual Tsunami Benefit concert at The Chedi Hotel.  This year, they would present a bigger concert right on the beach with an amazing buffet.  Again, Sonthaya led his staff to create an international buffet featuring authentic Thai Cuisine as well as food from all over the world.  We raised almost $10,000 USD that all went towards education on Phuket Island.  On this 2nd trip to Thailand, I also soloed with the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra in Lumpini Park in downtown Bangkok. 

I returned to Thailand for a 3rd year in a row in December 2006 for another appearance with the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra as well as a 3rd Tsunami Benefit Concert at The Chedi Hotel.  After the concert, I took a private cooking class with Sonthaya.  He taught me how to make Lab Gai (Spicy Chicken Salad), Tom Yum (Traditional Shrimp Soup), and  a Green Curry.  All his mother's recipes.  Ya is one of the nicest people I know and the best chef in the world...other than my mother.  He is so patient, he is always smiling, and he is an incredible chef and instructor.  He is world class!!!  I thought to myself, how cool would it be for Sonthaya to come to the United States, which he has never been to, and present a cooking class, a traditional Thai dinner, and I would play a concert.  Great idea but it might be very expensive.  I let the idea rest but not for long.

In March 2007, I was invited by Desert Wind Winery in Prosser, WA to perform at one of their grand opening events.  While I was setting up for the concert at the winery I looked around a saw this amazing cooking area in this brand new, state of the art winery and cooking facility.  One of the owners gave me a tour of the winery and showed me where they would have their cooking classes and told me how they would be bringing in guest chefs.  Well at this point, I could hardly contain myself.  Wine, a traditional Thai dinner, an authentic Thai cooking class, music......  As soon as I had my chance I started talking about Sonthaya and before I could finish the answer was yes.  I couldn't believe it!!!  All this sounded great but I needed permission from The Chedi Hotel to let Sonthaya leave for 2 weeks and I needed to find out what his salary would be, airfare, visas, etc.  This is where my connection with the GM of The Chedi Hotel, Daniel Meury, came in handy.  Daniel saw this as a great win win all the way around.  Sonthaya would get a chance to travel and share his world class talent and at the same time we used this as an opportunity to promote Thailand and The Chedi Hotel and the Northwest would have an opportunity to experience the cooking of an up and coming young master.

So Desert Wind Winery and The Chedi Hotel decided that they would share the cost with me to bring Sonthaya to the United States for his very first visit to North America where he would present a cooking class, traditional Thai dinner paired with local wine, and a concert by Aaron Meyer.  I must admit in the end, I was the one who won big time because Sonthaya stayed with me at my house while he was in the Pacific Northwest, which meant for 10 days straight, he cooked 2 meals a day for my family and friends.  It was unbelievable!!!!!  Sonthaya would present 2 events in the Pacific Northwest.  The first would be a private CD release event for me in Portland.  I had just released my newest CD, "From The Beginning", and I thought it would be great to throw a thank you party for sponsors and business folks that have helped support my music.  Sonthaya created a fabulous spread for this event paired with all local wines from Yamhill County, Oregon.  The 2nd event would be more elaborate.  A cooking class, 5 course traditional Thai dinner paired with Desert Wind wines, and a concert all held onsite at the winery.

Both events were amazing.  Sonthaya was and is a shinning star!!!  Not only is his food amazingly beautiful to look at, totally healthy, and incredible to eat but watching him work, he is a true artist.  They way he moves while he is cooking, he is a conductor orchestrating his own meal and his greatest satisfaction is watching you enjoy.  Presentation is just as important to him as good taste.  My favorite part about Sonthaya's visit (after the food) was showing him around the Pacific Northwest.  I did not know Sonthaya all that well prior to his visit to Oregon and Washington.  I knew he was a good guy and I knew in my heart that his visit would be fun, but I did not know that he would become like a brother to me and his visit a treasured magical experience for me and my family for the rest of our lives. 

Sonthaya stayed in the Northwest for 10 days.  I spent the entire time with him.  We presented our 2 events in Portland and Prosser.  I drove him to Prosser, Washington thru the Columbia River Gorge stopping at Multnomah Falls, Little Stonehedge, and Mt. Hood (he had never seen snow before).  My wife and I took him out on the town to restaurants in Portland and we cooked at home.  I had private Thai cooking lessons.  The best part about it all was the human connection.  Spending time with him and getting to know my brother from Thailand.  Learning about his life and hearing about his experiences and his dreams.  Both Sonthaya and I are about the same age, we both have wives that we both love, and we both have the same passion for our art and our work.  I have an incredible love for Southeast Asia after spending 10 1/2 months there traveling in 1995-96 following attending Lewis & Clark College.  The opportunity to bring a small part of Southeast Asia into my world of music in the Northwest was a dream come true.

Sonthaya will hopefully be returning to America in September 2008 where he will present his cooking classes and traditional Thai dinners paired with local wines in each region he visits.  We have plans for him to present in New Your City, Philadelphia, Napa Valley, San Francisco, Portland, Cannon Beach, and Seattle.  I will tag along for his whirlwind USA Tour as his personal tour guide, concert violinist, and American Brother.