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Her very first dish was Tom Som Pla – sour fish soup at age six. Thailand-born Bee Pichetphongtorn learnt the art of cooking from her grandmother, mother and aunts. “I have four sisters and we all love cooking,” she said.
Bee and one of her sisters Eve and their husbands, Boyld and Zene, have run the popular Silver Spoon Thai Restaurant in Nowra’s Junction Street for two years. In the last 12 months they opened a second restaurant at Vincentia Marketplace.
Eve is the chef, having Thai food and bakery qualifications, while Bee is well-known in the front of house, her experience and qualifications in management and economics.
Bee still vividly remembers that first dish. “That was my dinner,” she said. “It’s a bit difficult for a first dish – it’s a whole fish and you have to cut it – I was too young, and there were too many ingredients,” she laughed. However the soup got Grandma’s approval and a lifelong love of Thai food was born. Bee has passed on the tradition to her own son, Poon, who started cooking even earlier at age four.
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He was also part of the inspiration for the restaurant’s name – Silver Spoon. “I put the S before Poon and Thai people use a spoon for their food. Also the colour of silver in Thai means money,” Bee said.
It’s not just family they share their love of cooking with though. Each month Silver Spoon runs a community Thai cooking class for 10 to 15 people, which they began doing in June this year. Attendance is by donation and whatever money is collected is then given to Nowra’s Homeless Hub. “One of our staff suggested that place,” Bee said. “Because the community supports us we need to give back.” It is also in honour to the Thai King who passed away recently.
Bee and Eve manage a friendly and welcoming team of wait and kitchen staff, many of whom have been with them since the beginning. “I have one staff who was unemployed and I asked him to come try, he is now the manager at Silver Spoon in Vincentia Marketplace.”
Bee and Eve pride themselves on the freshness and healthiness of each dish and the cleanliness and safety of their restaurant. “We use a lot of herbs and spices and healthy fresh vegetables and meat, locally supplied,” Bee said. Every dish on the menu has been created by Bee and Eve. It’s traditional Thai food, from the central Thai region. “A lot of Thai restaurants change the taste to suit Australian people, but I think people would like the taste of real Thai food!” she said.
They are quite happy to modify dishes of course, and if a customer prefers their dish hot and spicy, sweet or sour, it can be requested.
Bee and Eve say many of their customers are now friends. “I think our restaurant is not only a restaurant, it’s like a home,” Bee said. “We do food we love to show our Thai identity to our friends. We would like everyone to know Thai food. In the future I’d like everyone to enjoy and relax when they come here with healthy food. For the real Thai taste, come here,” she said.