Where My Love of Food Began – Growing Up in Isaan

Some of the most important things we learn about food have nothing to do with recipes.

I grew up on a small farm in Isaan, in the northeast of Thailand. My parents were rice farmers, and our home was in a little village where life was simple and closely connected to nature.

An old family photograph of a young Sasi sitting closely beside her mother on a wooden bench outside their home in rural Thailand.

We didn't have much money. In fact, we lived almost without money. But we had the land, the fields, our gardens and the things nature provided. We planted, grew, gathered and harvested what we needed. Much of the food on our table came from the work of our own hands.

An old photograph of three schoolgirls watering a vegetable garden together in rural Thailand, surrounded by rows of leafy greens and tropical plants. A glimpse of everyday life, growing food and learning to care for the land.

We knew where our food came from because we had been part of its journey from the very beginning. We knew the plants, the seasons and the work behind every harvest.

Looking back, I realise how special that was. At the time, it was simply our way of life.

A water buffalo standing in lush green grass on a rural farm in Thailand, surrounded by tropical vegetation and rolling green hills in the background. A glimpse of traditional countryside life in Isaan.

A different kind of richness

Life on the farm wasn't always easy. There was plenty of hard work, and we learned not to waste what we had. But there was also a happiness in the simplicity of everyday life.

People in our village helped one another. Neighbours shared what they had, families worked together, and when someone needed help, others were there.

Sasi’s family and neighbours preparing food together in a traditional outdoor kitchen in a village in Isaan, Thailand, surrounded by banana leaves and freshly gathered ingredients.

There wasn't much sophistication or luxury, but there was a strong sense of belonging. People spent time together, shared food and found joy in little things.

I remember that feeling of being part of a community, where life wasn't measured by how much you owned, but by the relationships you had and the things you could share.

Perhaps we didn't have much in material things, but in many other ways, we were rich.

Learning to understand food

Growing up on a farm teaches you something about food that is difficult to learn from a book.

Sasi cooking outdoors over a traditional charcoal stove in a rural Thai setting, preparing food in a wok surrounded by simple kitchen utensils and lush greenery. A glimpse of the traditional cooking environment she grew up with in Isaan.

You understand that vegetables need time to grow. You see how rain, sunshine and the seasons influence what the land provides. You learn that ingredients have their own character, and that good food begins long before it reaches the kitchen.

We didn't think of food as something that simply appeared on a supermarket shelf. It was connected to the soil, the weather, the people who grew it and the care that went into preparing it.

Nothing was taken for granted.

Sasi’s neighbour preparing traditional Isaan food by pounding fresh ingredients in a large wooden mortar and pestle in her village kitchen.

This is where my love of fresh ingredients began. It became part of the way I cook, the way I think about food and the way I want to share it with others.

I still believe that we are what we eat. Not simply because food nourishes our bodies, but because it connects us to nature, to our traditions and to one another.

Sasi walking through a green rice field in Isaan, Thailand, carrying freshly uprooted rice seedlings. A glimpse of traditional rice farming and her connection to the land where she grew up.

From a little village to my kitchen in Pattaya

Today, my life looks very different. I live in Pattaya, and I welcome people from many different countries into my own kitchen to discover Thai food.

But the values I grew up with are still there.

I love growing herbs and using fresh ingredients. I enjoy preparing curry paste by hand, working with traditional tools and showing people the wonderful variety of flavours in Thai cooking.

When guests visit my kitchen, I want them to experience more than just preparing a few dishes. I like to show them the ingredients, explain where they come from and share some of the traditions behind the food.

Sasi leading a traditional blessing during a Thai cooking class, with two guests holding their hands together in a gesture of gratitude beside the cooking stove.

Sometimes we go into the garden to pick herbs. Sometimes we spend time pounding curry paste in a mortar, or preparing coconut by hand. And then, of course, we sit together and enjoy what we have made.

I love seeing people who may have arrived as strangers sharing a meal and stories a few hours later.

It reminds me of the village where I grew up.

The things that stay with us

I sometimes think that the older I get, the more I appreciate the simple things I learned as a child.

Fresh food. Honest ingredients. Working with your hands. Respecting nature. Helping one another. Sharing what you have.

These are not complicated ideas, but I believe they are important.

They are also the reason I started making my own granola and energy balls. I wanted to create food using ingredients I could feel good about sharing with my own family. The same care and attention that go into preparing a meal for my guests go into everything I make.

For me, it all comes from the same place: a farm, a family and a childhood that taught me to appreciate what nature gives us.

I may have left the little village in Isaan, but a part of it will always be with me — in my garden, in my kitchen and in the food I share.

Sasi planting fresh herbs and vegetables in her home garden in Pattaya, holding a young seedling with soil-covered hands.

Because cooking has never been just about following a recipe or putting something on a plate.

It is about care, connection and making something with love.

Cooking is Love, Made Edible.

And wherever you come from, whatever your story, there is always room at my table.

With love,

Sasi ❤️