Napaporn Wongsuwan

May’s Oma was a powerful and independent woman, by all accounts, and a significant role-model for May.  She was the owner of a general store, which stocked everything for everyday use, as well as food every morning. May was a regular helper with the preparation.  It was from her Oma that May learned to cook all kinds of Thai dishes.  Oma was one to take advantage of all other business opportunities which came her way.  When the various fruits were in season, they became her stock, and May recalls with fondness the mango sticky rice that was her favourite. However, at the time, May complained that her responsibilities with helping her grandmother limited her time going out and having fun with her friends, as she had to be at home, on standby, in case she was needed.  In retrospect, May treasures the lessons she learnt from her grandmother, who worked extremely hard to ensure she had the funds needed to support May and her siblings.

A hardworking student, May took on a leadership role in the class, often initiating and co-ordinating activities.  She excelled academically because of her good memory and responsibly kept to the various rules and regulations. By the age of 21, May had finished her formal education with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing, and was keen to embark on her adult life.

It wasn’t long before May was married, with a young daughter who is now 27 years old. Unfortunately for May, she again lived through a broken marriage, this one caused by her husband’s wandering eye. May’s ability to cope with this difficult situation springs from her belief that humans have the power to choose their own life, with it being up to the individual to embrace positive thinking to maintain their life energy and happiness.

For quite a while, May worked in marketing with Estée Lauder and was sent to Phuket to build up the company’s presence there.  The 2004 Boxing Day tsunami wreaked havoc on Phuket and business suffered as a consequence so May was transferred back to Bangkok to work in Siam Paragon.  She was not happy with the pace of life that working in Bangkok entailed and decided to quit her employment and return to Phuket Town to open her own business, a venture that did not succeed.  May was again given an opportunity to demonstrate her resilience.  Her current high level of empathy with those less fortunate undoubtedly springs from the fact that she has personal experience of misfortune.

It was in Phuket that May met a couple who have also become pivotal in May’s life.  While she refers to them as her step-mother and step-father, there is no official status to their relationship, yet the bond between them is incredibly strong.  This wonderful couple has provided support to May in more ways that she can count, and were firm in their encouragement of her newest business venture here in Hua Hin.  May also met her husband, a German named Markus, in Phuket.  May was helping out a Thai friend and her Estonian husband, by taking on the management of their eating establishment. This was a new challenge for May as she had no previous personal experience in the hospitality business. It was in the restaurant where he was a regular patron, that May met Markus in 2008.  Markus originally made the error of assuming May was married to her Estonian friend, but eventually learnt that she was single and asked her out.  Over the next few years, Markus made many visits to Phuket and in 2010, the decision was made that May should make the move to Germany as his wife.  It was a complicated procedure for May to obtain the requisite visa, as it required her to learn German and undergo proficiency testing, but within six months May was able to meet the required standard and travel to live in Germany. 

The couple based themselves in Stuttgart and opened a pizza delivery business, eventually having about 20 staff.  The business was financially rewarding but for May and Markus had little else to recommend it.  May worked long hours, and was frustrated by some of the customers who would leave less-flattering reviews, expecting their freshly-made pizza home delivered seemingly before they actually ordered it.  May is a very social person, and having limited customer interaction, purely over the phone, just did not suit her personal style, and the hours of work required were not conducive to the lifestyle she wanted.  So, the business was sold, and the couple headed back to Thailand.

It was a visit to a friend here in Hua Hin that convinced May that Hua Hin was a place she could live long-term, as it would provide a safe but comfortable lifestyle at an affordable price.  May was also reminded that Hua Hin was the choice for King Rama IX, for whom she has great respect.  May hopes that the local authorities can build on the King’s vision and put into place proper planning and infrastructure for our growing community, such as flood mitigation strategies for Soi 102.

May’s initial business idea for Hua Hin was to set up a Chef’s Table in the front room of their rented premises, to allow her to recreate those great memories of all eating together. Her final business plan settled on her 40-seat restaurant, with both indoor and outdoor dining, which is already quite busy with a considerable group of regular customers. May has managed to retain the family feeling for the restaurant with a clever use of decor and interior design focusing on reusing and repurposing older items and has a strong focus on customer experience. May treats her staff as if they were members of her own family, leading her employees by example, and some even do have familial-type ties.  A new employee is her ex-husband’s son from a subsequent relationship.  May seems incapable of bearing any malice.

To maintain the feel of hosting people in her home, May tries to talk personally with each customer, seeking their feedback about her dishes.  She wants customers to view her as a friend, and tries hard to remember their names and their food preferences, wanting no-one to leave anything other than fully satisfied with their dining experience.  May is aware that the location of the restaurant means that she rarely attracts passing trade, but that customers have to form the intention to visit her establishment over the many others available, so she must maintain a point of difference. This is where May’s superior marketing skills come into play. May is a savvy user of social media platforms including Facebook and Instagram, and regularly responds to Google reviews as a simple yet effective strategy to expand her customer base.  May and Markus have both been surprised to find that the vast bulk of their patrons are Westerners or couples where one of them is Thai.  They believe less than 10% of their business comes from Thai couples, many of whom have never tasted Khao Soi before as it is not a local dish.

There are a few things about May that may surprise even those who think they know her well.  Marketing was not May’s first choice for her university study. She wanted to study architecture and interior design, believing she had a flair for this, but her father actively discouraged it, claiming it was a man’s job.  May wishes she had not let her father dissuade her from following her passion. To this day, May admires the former Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel for her feminist stance in refusing to be dominated by male political figures in Germany or abroad. May would still like to pursue further study in interior design with a particular focus on Feng Shui. Although her eponymously named restaurant focuses on Khao Soi, the dish is only one of the many Thai foods May and Markus count as favourites.  The pair enjoy all foods from northern Thailand and Bangkok, and Markus is particularly fond of food with Indian roots such as Massaman curry. Indeed, May is in the process of establishing a kitchen garden at the back of her restaurant so that she has fresh, organic herbs and salad leaves readily available.  Much as she loves the thought of her own produce and the pleasure of gardening, May is scared she may encounter snakes, her least favourite animal.

May has a few items on her bucket list.  She is a devout Buddhist and would like to visit India to walk in the Buddha’s footsteps.  When the time is right, May hopes to purchase the house she is now renting, so she owns the restaurant premises herself, giving her greater ongoing stability. May knows she cares too much about other people’s opinions, and that she is currently working too hard in her business, often 7 days a week. Markus wants May to listen to her body, to take time for relaxation on the beach, regular temple visits and meditation, which leaves her feeling refreshed, yet she describes her constant working as her guilty pleasure. Her moments spent sipping her first coffee of the day on her balcony are probably the only truly down-time that May is allowing herself, apart from the hours she sleeps each evening after closing up, packing up the kitchen and ensuring everything is prepped and ready for the following day. As a perfectionist, a highly disciplined and organised person, (more so than any German, as Markus will joke), May finds happiness in her satisfaction at the end of each day, in knowing the job has been well done, and that her step-parents are particularly proud of how successful her business has become, and how quickly. May firmly believes her Oma too sees her from heaven and beams with pride at how well May learnt under her tutelage.