Phulay Bay, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve in Thailand, the world’s first Ritz-Carlton Reserve property, has launched Heritage Flavors of Krabi, a four-hour culinary immersion that takes guests beyond the resort and into the communities and kitchens that have shaped Southern Thai cuisine for generations.
The experience includes browsing seasonal ingredients at a local market, learning chili paste-making from the women of a coastal Krabi community whose craft has become one of the region’s most respected, and preparing one of Southern Thailand’s most cherished dishes overlooking the Andaman Sea.
Heritage Flavors of Krabi was designed by Chef Laongdao Tohkhot, affectionately known as “Chef Aong,” Phulay Bay’s Chef de Cuisine, who has been at the resort since it opened in 2009. She leads the experience when available; otherwise, guests are guided by local experts she has trained in the same traditions and philosophy.
The experience begins where a Southern Thai chef’s day often does: at a local fresh market. Guests wander through the seasonal seafood, aromatic herbs and spices behind Krabi’s distinctive flavors.
At the Curry Paste House in Ao Thalane, a Muslim fishing village along Krabi’s mangrove coast, owner Khun Matee, 70, teaches guests her family’s chili paste recipe, passed down through generations. She grinds the ingredients by hand alongside them, joined by the women of her village whose paste-making began as a way to rebuild after the 2004 tsunami and has grown into one of Krabi’s most respected traditions.
The journey continues along the coast, ending at a seaside house where guests prepare Hor Mok, a cherished Southern Thai dish of steamed fish curry wrapped in banana leaves, with the Andaman Sea in view.
“To understand the spirit of Southern Thailand, you have to taste it,” said Chef Aong, Phulay Bay’s Chef de Cuisine. “That means standing beside the person who caught the fish that morning or watching a grandmother grind curry paste the way her mother taught her.”
“This experience brings guests closer to the people and traditions behind every dish,” she adds. “Sharing the region I have loved my entire life with them is something I never take for granted.”
Chef Aong has prepared meals for members of the Thai royal family and represented Southern Thai cuisine on a global stage, but her cooking is grounded in family recipes, Krabi’s coastal traditions and the culinary influences of neighboring Indonesia and Malaysia. She grows herbs on-site and works closely with local fishermen, farmers and artisans, drawing on ingredients and knowledge learned from the surrounding communities.
At Sri Trang, Phulay Bay’s signature Southern Thai restaurant, she applies that approach to a recently refreshed menu rooted in the region’s bold coastal cooking. Locally sourced seafood, garden-grown herbs, coconut and aromatic spices feature in dishes including Khao Yum Pak Tai, a Southern herb rice salad, and Senmee Kaeng Pu, rice vermicelli with Southern crab curry.
Heritage Flavors of Krabi is available year-round and starts at approximately $400 USD for two guests.
For images, please see here. For more information, visit www.phulaybay.com.
