Arun Sampanthavivat Turns up the Heat on Thai Cooking
Arun Sampanthavivat is the owner and executive chef of Arun’s, a unique, upscale Chicago restaurant that the New York Times recently praised as “one of the best Thai restaurants in the city–possibly the country.” The oldest of eight children, Sampanthavivat was raised on a rubber plantation in Trang, a southern province in Thailand.
This master restaurateur received a stellar education–including one master’s degree in international relations and another in political science–but no formal cooking training. How did he get into the restaurant business? He was working towards a doctorate at the University of Chicago when a group of his friends decided to pool their resources and open a Thai restaurant. Sampanthavivat agreed to join them, on one condition: this restaurant would break the American stereotype of cheap, take-out Thai food.
Sampanthavivat Crosses Culinary Boarders
One by one, his friends dropped out of the risky restaurant venture–but not Arun Sampanthavivat. He created Arun’s, where he realizes his sophisticated vision for Thai cooking with a fixed price tasting menu that he prepares and adapts individually to the preferences of each customer. Each night, customers flock to this culinary gem tucked away in a working-class neighborhood of Chicago to enjoy dumplings etched with edible, carved dough flowers, whimsical, richly flavored curries, and salads that delicately layer the flavors of bitter greens, peanuts, green papaya, and chilies.
Sampanthavivat’s cuisine combines Eastern and Western culinary styles, and his self-taught cooking style defies all definitions. ”I can’t explain it scientifically,” he says. ”I just know it.The herbs, the multilayers of flavor, not to mention beautiful presentation.” Arun’s nightly array of customers agree: however he does it, Arun Sampanthavivat cooks one fabulous Thai dinner.
Sources:
The New York Times, “The Great Chefs Go to Him to be Dazzled”
Arun’s Thai Restaurant Official Website
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