Thip Thai Cuisine, Columbia

Thip Thai Cuisine's chef Kittikoon Chompupong was born in Bangkok, but got his earliest culinary experience in Boston working in his father's restaurant. There, he fell in love with Thai cuisine and returned to Thailand to study the food in greater detail at Suan Dusit International Culinary School. Today, Chef Chompupong puts his training to use in multiple restaurants that he's founded throughout the Eastern and Southern United States. His menus feature a broad range of regional Thai recipes, with some hints of international culinary influences.

At Thip Thai Cuisine, Chompupong glazes boneless duck with tamarind and chili, serving it with sun-dried tomatoes, pineapple, and bell peppers. He seasons tilapia with Thai spices, then wraps the whole fillet in banana leaves and grills it. He satuees curry paste and vegetables with rosemary, thyme, and fresh basil, finishing off the dish with a wine and roasted chile sauce. In addition to educating diners about Thai food through the dishes on his menu, he also includes relevant information about each dish. He notes, for instance, that spicy kang pa soup is most popular in central Thailand or that crab-fried rice is usually served to celebrate joyful occasions such as the time someone got the amazing idea to put crab in fried rice.