Pla claims to have had an ordinary childhood in her home city of Khon Kaen, yet she didn’t have time to play and had to search hard to recall a favourite childhood memory, a family visit to the zoo in Nakhon Ratchasima. Pla was born the oldest of the four siblings, with two younger brothers then a sister. Her parents owned a Thai restaurant and both cooked, though Pla will tell you that her mother is the better chef. To this day, Pla’s personal favourite dish is her mother’s Tom kha gai, a spicy and sour Thai coconut soup with chicken. From the age of just seven, Pla was working in the restaurant when she wasn’t at school, with her duties expanding as she aged, starting with clearing tables and washing dishes. By the time Pla graduated from school, aged 17, she was familiar with all the varied tasks of running a restaurant. Her childhood had but two primary focuses; to excel in school and to learn as much as she could in the kitchen. Pla didn’t really seem to notice that other children had freedom to play and explore. She drew her work ethic from her parents who modelled that success is achieved solely through focus and dedication.

Although Pla’s favourite subject at school was science, she decided on a career in hospitality upon graduation from high school. She holds two separate university diplomas in the field, one from Bangkok University International and the other from the International Hotel & Tourism Industry Management School (iTIM), also in Bangkok. Pla’s training over three and a half years combined regular campus study with two 5-month long industry placements which she undertook at the Anantara Hua Hin Resort. Pla’s choice of placement was prompted by a brief single-day visit to Hua Hin as a child of around 10. While the reasoning behind the choice seems limited, it was indeed serendipitous, as the stints at the Anantara were where Pla met Virat, who was the resort’s Head Chef. Pla was very keen to learn as much as she could during her placements, so this put the pair in regular contact and a strong relationship was the result, despite an age difference.

It is now heading towards a decade since Pla began her studies in hospitality. Although her diplomas grace the walls, she is still very much engaged in further learning, and each year completes at least one short course in marketing to stay abreast of the latest trends. Prior to the internet, and then social media, advertising was king. To have a successful product or service, you needed to advertise it comprehensively. With the advent of the internet, advertising became just clutter and background noise, and the more sophisticated marketing came to the fore. Brand recognition and differentiation were the new buzzwords. Pla has a shelf of books tracking the evolution of marketing and strategically utilises marketing concepts in her daily efforts to promote her two businesses.

Among her favourites is the theory of the purple cow, initially proposed by Seth Godin in his 2003 book of the same name. Godin had found the cows in the French countryside interesting at first, but soon no longer noticed them. He realised he wouldn’t be able to overlook a purple cow, though. Godin posited that success was dependent on creating a remarkable product while targeting people who were likely to spread word-of-mouth information about the product. Even though the concept is over 20 years old, it is still worthwhile. Who doesn’t prefer a personal friend’s recommendation over something from a social media influencer? Godin stated, “Today, one sure way to fail is to be boring. Your one chance for success is to be remarkable”. When he used the word remarkable, Godin was using it in its full dictionary definition: unusual or special and therefore surprising and worth mentioning. Pla adds to Godin’s theory by ensuring that her customers feel special because she remembers their names, knows their usual requirements and, in effect, turns valued customers into friends.

This is not just another cynical business strategy, but an innate part of the way Pla operates. While it is sometimes used as a negative, colloquially, Pla qualifies as a control-freak because of her intense need to direct and manage situations and people. She feels uncomfortable if she feels unable to control things. Pla is a perfectionist with a meticulous eye for detail, which can be observed in all aspects of her newer venture, Flowers House Breakfast and Brunch, located off Soi 102, which opened at the end of November 2025. With the focus of a museum curator rather than just a business owner, Pla again created her remarkable “purple cow”. At Flowers House, tables are arranged in a garden. Pla’s sole hobby is gardening, which provides her with a rare moment of respite and refuge in her busy, overcrowded life. So, the garden was designed with its central pond first, then the buildings organised around it. A garden environment including Pla’s favourite dark pink roses, fabric tablecloths, vases of fresh flowers, colourful seat cushions and a professionally designed menu, along with ruffled aprons on the servers, all elevate Flowers House. The food is artfully presented and the whole experience is something customers want to talk about: it is the perfect purple cow.

Pla has an acknowledged weakness as a counterpoint to her many strengths, and that is her current inability to delegate. It means that she has more daily tasks than can comfortably fit into just 24 hours, and so a normal sleep period is sacrificed. Pla’s day starts early, usually before the sun, as Flowers House opens at 7am. Pla works there until 3pm when she returns home to shower, change and have a bite to eat before the daily opening of Steak Sudsoi at 5pm. The restaurant is very popular, with a 60+ seating capacity for diners hankering for 100-day grain-fed Australian beef. Customers need to book as it is often fully-booked several days in advance, unless you are prepared to dine after 8.30pm on a vacated table. Wednesdays are Pla’s only day of rest.

When Steak Sudsoi closes at 11pm, Pla still has up to an hour of work with clean up and managing the money, as well as a staff of 18 across the two locations. In addition, each day she spends time using a wide variety of online marketing tools to reach new customers. Pla is also a devoted mother to her seven cats, so you will understand why she only averages three to four hours of sleep each night. Pla agrees that this is untenable in the long term and that she will suffer burnout if she doesn’t allow someone else to help her, yet her standards are high and she is yet to find that trusted second-in-command. Pla’s self-belief and her deep trust in her own methods could potentially be holding her back.

It is ironic that Pla’s most admired role-model also shares her nickname. Atchara Burarak, also Khun Pla, has had a strong influence on Pla’s vision. Atchara is now almost 50 and is the founder and CEO of the Iberry Group which has over 200 locations across 13 brands. In 1999, Atchara stepped away from her job as a flight attendant to start Iberry ice-cream and her business empire grew, sprouted and blossomed. She tackled prejudice as a young, female entrepreneur but stuck to her belief that her patrons desired more than just a meal; they sought unique experience, personalisation and a sense of connection. In recent times, Atchara Burarak was Bangkok Post’s CEO of the year in 2025, and it seems Pla has internalised much of Atchara’s wisdom. Pla is not sure of her next business, only that there will be one. She was not able to verbalise just how many restaurants would be enough, though she is certain she would like to delve into travel and tourism hospitality as well.

Pla certainly has big dreams to match her entrepreneurial mindset. She is most thankful for customer comments, of all sorts. Complaints which are aired are potentially more valuable than compliments, as they prompt and guide improvement. Pla has received a multitude of compliments, but most appreciates when her own inner voice assures her that she can indeed do something. Pla sees the world getting better each day as technology improves the way humans can connect with each other, with her most treasured material possession being her phone, which is a constant companion.

Published 12th April,2026