Thank you for your responses.
To answer a few of your questions:
1. The reason I look for Thai Chefs from Thailand is simple, there are no Thai Chefs in the USA excluding myself. The "Thai Cooks" that are in the USA have never stepped one foot into a Restaurant Kitchen prior to their arriving in the USA. In fact the US Government requires Thai people wishing to visit the USA to have about $25,000 in the bank to prove their ability to not to put a drain on government funds. Since the average Thai cook makes no more than $250.00 per month and a Chef with a Bachelors Degree and 4-5 years experience in a 4-5 diamond hotel only makes $300-$800 per month and the Executive Chefs $700-$1,200 it will be only those considered very wealthy coming to America. Which means those who do, have cooks, maids and servants and have never cooked for themselves let alone others. When these same people come to the USA, they see the absolute vacuum of many Thai restaurants but no real Thai food only Thai-Chinese and Thai Western versions and figure Americans will never know the difference between Thai and Chinese food which in most part is correct. So when you are eating Mongolian Beef look on the map an tell me what part of Thailand Mongolia is in?
So presently I am working with the Thai and USA Governments to work out better visa arrangements as well as in the middle stages to putting together a Thai Culinary School to train professional American Chefs and cooks authentic Thai food from some of the top Thai cuisine Chefs and Professors from the top 5 "Ivy League" Thai Universities. (Thailand has Bachelors and Master Degree programs in Thai Cuisine, in much the same way France does to be able to train Chefs for service into the Thai Royal Palace)
I have tried to hire American Chefs and bring them up to speed with Thai Cuisine but the results were disappointing.
I loved that American Chefs have wonderful compulsory skills, know how to use a knife, the difference between rare and well done and all degrees in between, health department issues and concerns, things NONE of the Thai cooks in America see to have a remote grasp of, which is horrific for me. However, the American Chefs while quick to pick up cooking techniques have too great a learning curve and find it too far to step back in order to move forward.
This is why I think the Thai Culinary schools will help tremendously.
Some suggest go to Ethnic recruitment forums where they have Asian and Thai Fusion, Chinese, Curry and other ethnic Chefs and cooks. WHY DO YOU THINK THEY COOK AND CALL IT THAI FUSION???!! BECAUSE THEY CAN'T COOK REAL THAI FOOD!!!
Pretty much if you told a Purist like myself that is Chef de Cuisine to accept Chinese food for Thai or Basque food for French.... I have a very important suggestion....
DUCK!!!
Then turn your apron in at McDonalds and try a new line of work.
Finally, the suggestion to find those who work at Thai Town and even better, Wat Thai BRAVO!!! Been there, done that.... two probrlems still exist...
Thai Town only has 2 restaurants that cook authentic Thai food 6 or 7 out of 10 compared to Thailand. The rest serve Thai-Chinese dog food.... and like in Italy, most people that want the real thing do a better job at home, than they can find paying for it in a restaurant.
The weekend food market at Wat Thai Buddhist Temple is run mostly by amateur cooks using home made recipes... which are good.
But those of you who are professionally and classically trained Chefs realise cooking at home or for a few hundred is very different than cooking for several hundred daily. The health codes are not as closely observed and a food stall cook offering 3-5 dishes hardly warrants itself as a professional restaurant team.
Don't get me wrong... I LOVE THESE OLD THAI LADIES who put their heart and soul into their cuisine. I have even hired a few, only to realize the cannot keep up with the cook line, or even handle the rigors of the prep-line daily.
Finally, I have been Thailand and own a home for over 8 years there. I speak the language and have even spent 2 years as a Buddhist monk (by accident)(Italian boy Le Notre trained in Paris becomes Thai Chef...go figure)
In February of 2007 I recruited 208 of the top Thai Chefs in Thailand. The response was overwhelming since what I offered in Salary, stock and restaurant ownership would be like winning the lottery for them.
I interviewed the top 45 and in an Iron Chef competition had the top 8 Chefs cook the same 5 classic dishes on Taste, Authenticity and Presentation with freshness being the main theme. I offered five of them jobs provisional to their getting a visa.
All had B.A. or greater with 5-10 years experience in the top 10 hotels and restaurants in Thailand.
Two of them worked as Head Chefs at the Royal Palace, one was a University professor and at the top of the game.
None qualified for visas!!!
I am now raising about $5 million to open up a "flagship" restaurant in So. Cal and 3 smaller restaurants, the visiting Top Chef from Thailand and I are preparing a cooking show for both Thai and American Cable TV, and we have a Thai cookbook coming out to promote Thai Cuisine in America in hopes of getting Chefs in America trained, and as a larger company get the U.S. Immigration to ease the restrictions for their visas.
Thai food is then next big cuisine.
If you know of Chefs willing to step back and go into a new direction in learning real Thai food, or people interested in investing the school or restaurants have them email me direct here.
THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH FOR YOUR INPUT AND OPINIONS
NEVER LOSE THE PASSION OR THE ART!!!!
THE REVOLUTION IS HERE!!! JOIN US!!!
The Révolution de Cuisine that is!!!! Gin Khao (Thai for Eat Rice... used the same as Bon Appétit or Mangia)
Chef Dom
Rock the Wok!