You might think, after reading of all these star studded appearances, that a trip to A lot of Thai Cooking School would be a commercialised, inauthentic, perhaps even impersonal experience. You might not believe that the woman I described above, is the same woman who shares her home in Chiang Mai with 3 generations of her family, picks you up from your hotel in her green 1967 Mazda 1500 (or her 1974 VW kombi van) and personally teaches all classes, 5 days per week. But, as one quick visit to Trip Advisor will confirm, you would be wrong.

     A lot of Thai is the best cooking class in Chiang Mai. I guess I haven’t tried others but I don’t think any can be any better than this one! We booked a half day originally but very quickly realized we were having so much fun that we wanted to stay the entire day. The courses are different each day of the week and we lucked out on what our menu was.  The wednesday menu had pad see yew but we ended up making Pad Thai instead, which is actually harder, and tastier.

     Yui, owner and instructor of Chiang Mai’s A lot of Thai Home Cooking Class, is a true foodie in every sense of the word. Her love of food, cooking, and sharing her wealth of knowledge about Thai cuisine is what prompted Yui to open up A lot of Thai with her family over 10 years ago. Not only does Yui cook up some insanely good Thai food and can offer you the history and cultural significance of the dishes, she’s also extremely funny, jovial, and a fantastic teacher!

     Kaffirlimoenblaadjes. Sinds onze reis door Thailand is het mijn lievelingsgeur. Een dagje koken met A lot of Thai in Chiang Mai, en je begrijpt snel waarom. Als je een beetje leest over Chiang Mai, dan ontdek je al snel dat het de Thaise hoofdstad van de kookcursussen is. Eten in Thailand is dan ook echt een feest. En waar je in sommige landen pech hebt als vegetariër (hallo Frankrijk), is het tegenovergestelde waar voor Thailand. Om thuis ook eens zelf een poging te wagen, klopten we aan bij Yui van A lot of Thai. Yui is zo’n beetje de lokale Jeroen Meus, ze komt geregeld op tv en als Gordon Ramsay in Thailand is, komt hij voor zijn tv-shows bij Yui aankloppen.

      I knew our Thai cooking class was going to be great when they picked us up at the hotel in a powder blue 1973 VW bus.