Wanthana Nikonsaen
When asked what her last meal on earth would be, Chef Wanthana Nikonsaen replied, “a bowl of rice” as she reminisced her childhood of farm life in a small village in Northeastern Thailand near the border of Laos, "From the first harvest to the first bowl of cooked rice, it's amazing how a simple bowl of plain rice is able to warm hearts and fill a hungry stomach".
While the idea of becoming a professional cook stemmed from a desire to prove her father wrong, Chef Pin, as she prefers to be addressed, became a well-loved chef who aspires not to stardom but instead, to 'fill a need' like that bowl of rice. Her true ambition is to ‘cook to please’, by gratifying measures of satisfaction through simple culinary pleasures.
After college, she landed her first job as a cook and kitchen helper in the Thai beach resort town of Hua Hin, where she developed a profound interest in fruit carving. After a brief one-year stint, Chef Pin started her journey into authentic Thai cuisine during the 3 years in Bangkok at the Amari Hotel. Her culinary adventure began when she joined the Indochinese kitchen team at Tamarind Springs restaurant in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia before taking flight to Brunei as a Junior Sous Chef where she had the opportunity to work with a myriad of international fare – Arabic, Japanese, Indian and European. Now vested with a more diverse knowledge in cuisine, she returned to Malaysia to work under the giant hotel chain brand YTL at the renowned Pangkor Laut Resort.
Through her gradual learning progression and exposure to various styles of cooking, the use of ingredients, Chef Pin started experimenting with the fusion of flavours, and found herself drawn to the science of natural, fresh food that promotes wellbeing. This very revelation carved her way back to the one cuisine close to her heart –Thai Cuisine.
Chef Pin returned to Samadhi Retreats, only this time as Executive Chef of Tamarind Hill Singapore. Fusing all her culinary experiences, expertise in vegetable and fruit carving, her aptitude in aesthetics, Chef Pin heads her team with an intent sharp as a knife.
While the idea of becoming a professional cook stemmed from a desire to prove her father wrong, Chef Pin, as she prefers to be addressed, became a well-loved chef who aspires not to stardom but instead, to 'fill a need' like that bowl of rice. Her true ambition is to ‘cook to please’, by gratifying measures of satisfaction through simple culinary pleasures.
After college, she landed her first job as a cook and kitchen helper in the Thai beach resort town of Hua Hin, where she developed a profound interest in fruit carving. After a brief one-year stint, Chef Pin started her journey into authentic Thai cuisine during the 3 years in Bangkok at the Amari Hotel. Her culinary adventure began when she joined the Indochinese kitchen team at Tamarind Springs restaurant in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia before taking flight to Brunei as a Junior Sous Chef where she had the opportunity to work with a myriad of international fare – Arabic, Japanese, Indian and European. Now vested with a more diverse knowledge in cuisine, she returned to Malaysia to work under the giant hotel chain brand YTL at the renowned Pangkor Laut Resort.
Through her gradual learning progression and exposure to various styles of cooking, the use of ingredients, Chef Pin started experimenting with the fusion of flavours, and found herself drawn to the science of natural, fresh food that promotes wellbeing. This very revelation carved her way back to the one cuisine close to her heart –Thai Cuisine.
Chef Pin returned to Samadhi Retreats, only this time as Executive Chef of Tamarind Hill Singapore. Fusing all her culinary experiences, expertise in vegetable and fruit carving, her aptitude in aesthetics, Chef Pin heads her team with an intent sharp as a knife.
| Hosting Establishment | Tamarind Hill Singapore |
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