It would have been easy for charismatic Chef Jakkrit Phungsamphan (Rom) to remain in his native Bangkok to run one of his families’ successful local restaurants. But for ambitious Rom, the culinary calling for greater gastronomic experience took him away from his homeland in 1980, spending over two decades refining his skill and craft in Australia and Hong Kong.

Rom’s kitchen credentials were quickly realised during his first posting at Sydney’s Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel & Restaurant. His passion and undeniable natural flair for cooking propelled him from kitchen hand to head-chef, when in 1985; his talents led him to be recruited to head the kitchen for the pioneering new Wyndham Street Thai restaurant in Hong Kong.