Thailand is a fascinating country culturally, historically, geographically; there’s good weather… and the culinary aspect! – Oh, that’s the one that really grabs me!
The colourful and diverse dishes are rich in herbs, spices, plants and flowers – that really surprised me. I love the way they enjoy their meals with a variety of small plates, it’s always plentiful and striking looking. There’s always someone eating at any given time.
Young Thai Chef Competition
I was in Bangkok on holiday over the Easter break when I got a call to accompany Jamie on this extraordinary culinary adventure. A month later, I was back in Thailand, a place that has been on my long wish list for ages, and now I’ve been twice in two months! Incredible.
The 2019 finalist for Young Thai Chef of the Year is Jamie Rowlands, a 30-year-old, talented, very young chef based in London. He’s previously lived in mountainous Chiang Mai in northern Thailand for one year a few years back, so Jamie is very knowledgeable about Thai cuisine.
The competition prize was a trip to Bangkok and beyond to experience working in two of the city’s best restaurant kitchens: the fine- dining of Bo.Lan and the Michelin starred Siam Wisdom, both in Bangkok.
We also got to visit Dusit Thani – an internationally recognised hospitality and gastronomy college partnered with the world-renowned Cordon Bleu, a day trip to the beautiful Blue River Organic Farm (three and half hours from Bangkok, so worth the trip!) and to the fantastic complex that is Sampran Organic Farm (one hour from central Bangkok).
Getting to know Chef Jamie Rowlands
Q: Tell us a bit about you, where you were born?
Jamie: I was born in Ecuador. My English parents worked as teachers for an international company and moved to Sri Lanka then onto Spain, Malaysia and Portugal.
Q: What sparked your love of cooking and at what age?
Jamie: My background was growing up in countries where food is an integral part of the culture. Teaching myself to recreate meals from my upbringing. It was sparked further by a year spent living in Chiang Mai, visiting the local markets and experimenting with ingredients, as well as eating the variety of food on offer in the area.
Q: What took you to Chiang Mai? Did you have experience cooking Thai food before you went to Thailand?
Jamie: I went to live and spend time with my mother.
Q: How did you start working in restaurants?
Jamie: As a result of being in Chiang Mai, on my return to the UK, I found an opportunity at the Begging Bowl in Peckham where, with the guidance of chef Jane Alty, I began working in professional kitchens. I then went on to spend four years cooking with chef Andy Oliver at Som Saa, who I met while cooking at the Begging Bowl.
Q: You’re now working at Tayer +Elementary. Where did you work as a chef before this in the UK?
Jamie: Begging Bowl, briefly at Smoking Goat, Som Saa and Lyles.
Q: What do you think makes Thai food special?
Jamie: As a cuisine, it is rich in a driven history that has allowed it to be elevated. It has drawn on its influences from cultures that have been involved in building the modern day; as a result, it is very diverse and continuously exciting. Its flavours and their combinations also make it so unique, as well as how the Thais enjoy their food as a combination of several dishes enjoyed at the same time.
Q: What’s the plan for the future?
Jamie: Keep learning, growing as a chef, its exciting to be in an industry that allows people of all levels to keep on learning.
Interesting facts about Thai cuisine I learnt from Chef Jamie Rowlands
One of the burning questions for me about Thai cuisine is what differentiates the cooking style and ingredients within the various regions of Thailand. So Jamie explained…
In the central region of Thailand, curries are more complex. The further away from the central area, the pastes get more straightforward. In the South, they use a lot of coconuts, and due to the coastal location, seafood is used extensively in cooking. Except for the Muslim curries, Southern curries tend to be intensely hot, spicy and pungent. Mild coconut milk and turmeric broths with fish or shrimp are part of the menu in the South.
Traders, mainly from Persia, brought in to Thailand many Middle Eastern spices. One classic example of this is mild Massaman curry (cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, cumin, bay leaves, nutmeg and mace are combined with local produce, such as shrimp paste, dried chilli peppers, cilantro seeds, lemongrass, galangal, white pepper, Thai shallots and garlic to make the paste).
What a fascinating country, culture and gastronomy!
To enter next year’s ‘Young Chef of the Year: Thai Cuisine’ competition: http://www.thaitradelondon.com/young-chef-of-the-year-thai-cuisine-competition/
Disclosure: I was part of this trip accompanying the 2019 winner Jamie Rowlands to Bangkok and beyond on a gastronomic experience as part of the ‘Young Chef of the Year: Thai Cuisine’ competition prize organised by Office of Commercial Affairs, Royal Thai Embassy on behalf of the Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP), Ministry of Commerce’ and Red Communications. All words and photos are my own.
