Pom, now 54, was lucky to grow up in a warm, well-supported family environment. She was born the third of four relatively closely-spaced children with two older brothers and a younger sister, so she always had willing playmates. Pom had the relative luxury of a mother who was able to be a housewife, without the need for external employment. Pom’s mother was handy with her sewing machine and made all the children’s clothes. It was Pom’s father who would cook the family meals, often starting the preparation for the day’s meals early in the morning before leaving for work. Pom’s favourite dish remains a noodle soup. The family budgeted carefully to get by, with Pom recalling that each monthly salary day was eagerly awaited as her father would treat them to a local restaurant meal instead of cooking himself. As a teenager, Pom would never have imagined that in later life, she would ever be a chef in her own restaurant, leading a small team of five staff.

Today, living and working in Hua Hin, Pom is still surrounded by family, with one brother and her sister working with her in her business, her elderly mother sharing her home, and her daughter’s family with three grandchildren, aged six, four and two living locally. Pom cherishes the opportunity each school morning to drive the elder two to school, as it ensures she is a daily presence in the children’s lives. Pom will admit, however, that it can be a challenge if she wakes with a sore head after a big night of partying.

Growing up in Korat, Pom never encountered foreigners and so felt studying English was irrelevant, ironic considering how many of her multi-national friends she now communicates with in English. Pom had very creditable academic results in elementary school yet found high school more challenging because of her subject choices. Pom expected she would be following her father into a government job, potentially nursing, and so had taken a course of study loaded with the necessary mathematics and science rather than following her own interests. Pom, now appreciating the value of a well-rounded education, wishes she had been able to apply herself to her studies with greater dedication. After graduating high school, Pom travelled to Hua Hin in 1987 to visit a cousin, and the die was cast. Although Pom has lived in many places around the world because of her husband’s work, Hua Hin has been in Pom’s heart from that initial visit.

Pom’s indecision about what career she wanted to pursue lead her cousin, a restaurant manager, to suggest she apply for a job in the hotel where he worked, the Sofitel (which is now the Centara Grand). Despite not having any English, supposedly a pre-requisite, Pom landed the job on her cousin’s recommendation, starting work as a server in the restaurant.  After two years, Pom switched to the Melia Hotel (now the Hilton), where she worked for five years in the food and beverage department. It was during this time that Pom and her Thai partner welcomed their daughter, now in her mid-30s. To enhance career progression, Pom moved to Bangkok to work at the Capital Club on Sukhumvit 22, then the Amari Watergate.

It was on a plane, heading to the Philippines on holiday that Pom met Marko, a Finn, who has now been her husband for 25 years. Marko was in the early stages of what became a very long-term career as an engineer with Nokia, and had been working in Bangkok but was on a work-trip to the Philippines. The pair instantly made a connection which they continued on their respective returns to Bangkok.  Marko’s work involved the development and roll-out of cell-phone networks across the world, and he soon found himself bound for South America. It was while he was in Brazil that Marko invited Pom to visit him. Pom promptly quit her job and booked her ticket, insisting upon paying for it herself. She was only allowed to stay 30 days before returning to Hua Hin. The bond between the pair strengthening, Pom bought herself a second flight to visit Marko in Brazil. It was then that it was apparent the relationship was going to be ongoing. The pair married in 2002 and lived abroad in Japan and Indonesia for 2 years each, as well as 4 years in Sydney, Australia, where Pom’s much improved English skills became very helpful. In addition, Pom was included on quite a few month-long work trips to Europe. As a result, Pom caught the travel bug, with trips to central Europe including Prague, Egypt and the Maldives at the top of her bucket-list.

Many in Hua Hin know Khun Pom as the owner and chief chef at I Rice Restaurant. Many of her customers would agree that Pom’s “superpower” is her ability to turn customers into friends. Pom has an obvious warmth and openness which is instantly disarming. People are quick to feel completely at ease in her presence. It is a gift that she has inherited from her father, the person she most admires. He was filled with natural kindness and was inclined to err on the side of leniency when dealing with transgressions in his private capacity. Of course, as a career policeman, he did not always have the authority to exercise his innate compassion.

Hua Hin became the ideal place for Pom to live because she was able to use her restaurant, opened in 2010, as a magnet for her family. Pom sadly lost her elder brother to an accident when he was just 20, however her other brother came years ago to work beside Pom at the Sofitel and now manages service at I Rice. Pom’s sister now assists her in the kitchen, a real family affair. And that’s before all the customers who’ve become friends and even surrogate family. Beside the great food, infused with the taste and spice of Korat yet with less sugar than most local food, I Rice is known for its book exchange where residents and tourists alike are welcome to find their next good read. I Rice has taken on a pivotal role in building and maintaining community.

The one minor gripe Pom has about Hua Hin is the difficulty with public beach access. Pom enjoys relaxing by the sea, although she does not swim, having a fear of the pool after an incident as a youngster when she had to be pulled from the water. What is surprising, given this history, is that in her younger years, Pom was an accomplished scuba diver. Unable to swim, submerging with a mask, tank and flippers was not a problem. She trained in Bangkok and has undertaken dives in the Similan Islands, Christmas Island, Bali and on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

Pom is happy, family-oriented, energetic and, above all, boundlessly optimistic. While she is a realist who acknowledges the challenges our world is facing, Pom believes that the globalisation of our world will inevitably lead to better intercultural understanding, making it a better place for all. In some ways, Hua Hin, with its cultural diversity, is a microcosm reflecting Pom’s hopes for world peace. Pom’s husband is a Finn; her daughter is married to a Dane and Pom’s expansive network of friends encompasses people from many national and cultural backgrounds. It is this network that makes Pom’s birthday party each year such a wonderful event. Pom used to be inundated with gifts but came to realise that often people were spending money on things she didn’t need or wasn’t going to use. So, Pom decided to use her birthday party as the central element of her annual charity platform.

Party guests each year since 2018 have been invited to make a cash donation to the charity box instead of bringing a gift. Typically, the charity box collects around 30,000 baht on the night. Each year, Pom makes it her mission to seek out a local, government school to be the recipient of her fund-raising. She looks for a new one each time, a small school, often lacking in resources, which has failed to attract the attention of any of the larger charity organisations or foundations. Although quite a modest amount, it is enough to make a difference, with students and staff expressing gratitude for the unexpected windfall. Now that Pom’s annual efforts have become well-known, she finds that people may also make additional contributions when she announces the recipient school. There is a deep pleasure for Pom in knowing that she is able to help in such a concrete, yet personal, way. Pom knows that in giving, blessings will be returned to her.

Although Pom welcomes relaxation time, which she will spend using social media or going shopping, even just window shopping, she is content to continue working, claiming that it doesn’t feel like real work. Marko has recently given up his job with Nokia, having had enough of travelling for work and keen to find a local job or at least one where he can normally work from home. Whether this will change Pom’s perception of getting up to work nearly every day remains to be seen. Pom is aware that she is still learning to become a sound judge of other people’s character. Since she is such an open person herself, she naturally expects the same from others, only to learn that not everyone is as they first appear. Pom is sensitive to sadness, crying easily. She doesn’t like to see cruelty, disrespect or misfortune, directed at anyone or anything. Pom’s guilty pleasure is a few glasses of white wine. Luckily for everyone, Pom becomes even more fun to be around once she has a few drinks under her belt. She is a party girl with a big heart and a clear purpose.