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Published on July 12, 2007

He recently signed a deal with a veterinarian to raise chickens in a prescribed manner, as they will become the highlight dish marking the opening of his fourth restaurant at CentralWorld. Two-month-old hens will be separated and fed with turmeric and black galingale.

At four months, they will be ready for khao man kai phrom ajan (virgin chicken and rice). With a special rice, Chaithep is confident the dish will be the talk of the town.

This is one of the strategies he has put into place to uphold his motto, "No good, no pay". He regards the quality and taste of the food as the heart of a successful restaurant.

And his son, Tanwa, has also entered the food business, running Lee Cafe for the past seven years. Tanwa intends to be as good as his father. Even though he is not a professional chef, and most of his time is devoted to managing costs, Tanwa still adheres to his father's teaching. Quality must come first, even though Lee Cafe serves mostly single-dish meals.

After five years of extensive training by his father, he can now cook. He knows that no matter what academic degrees he may hold, he needs knowledge in cooking to run a restaurant. And whenever he has conflicts with his father, Tanwa always listens, knowing that if his father were not right, he would not have come this far. Through his training, he can tell from just the smell in the kitchen whether his chefs are doing justice to his father's recipes.

Each day upon entering the kitchen, he has four spoons in his jacket pocket. With each one, he tastes various dishes, one by one. Only perfectly cooked entrees pass through the kitchen door to his customers. (Certainly, he could use more spoons for his testing sessions, since he does not have to wash them himself.)

"The recipes come from Mr Lee, and it's my responsibility to make sure his superiority is preserved," he said.

If I were his father, I would be so glad that my child had realised what I had preached for so long. And were I to go to the graveyard today, I would rest in peace.

achara_d@nationgroup.com