Apiradee THIRAKOMEN

Chef : 1 restaurant Apiradee Thirakomen, nicknamed Thiou, is a leading figure in Thai gastronomy in Paris. Her 2-toque restaurant is now housed in the Hotel Norman.

Presentation

Apiradee Thirakomen waspredestined tobe a pianist. Born in Bangkok, shecame to Paris in 1981 to perfect her skills. At thesame time, shedevoted herself to hersecond passion: cooking ."I used toprepare meals for friends, including Michel Blanc. In 1996, I was planning to return toThailand, but he advised me not toleave France without trying toopen my own restaurant in Paris." Together, they searched for premises ,until one dayan opportunity arose at Les Bains Douches. Jean-Yves Bouvierintroduced herto Hubert Boukobza, who put her in charge of the legendarynightclub 's kitchensfrom 1997 to 1999 ."Wewere only open in the evening. We served 250 covers. Itwas afactory, but Imade somedecisiveencounters there. "

In 2000 ,Apiradee Thirakomen joined the Richard Paris group. Thisled to theopening of his first restaurant, on rue Surcouf in the7th arrondissement, named after the nickname his parents gave him at birth: Thiou. "Ibegan to take aseriousinterest in Frenchgastronomy .So I revisited all myThai dishes to reflect this."Success wasimmediate. The press hailed her as an audacious and rare chef at the time. In 2002, the restaurantmoved to the Quai d'Orsay, theformer becoming Le Petit Thiou. In 2004, Le Comptoir de Thiou opened on avenue Georges-V. "By then, I was managing up to57employees, but everythingcame toan abrupt halt in 2012. "

After a fewsetbacks with his former management toreclaim theuse of his nickname, Apiradee Thirakomenteamed up with OlivierBertrand,who,after entrusting him withthe reins ofMary Goodnight, offered to reopen Thiou in 2017, not far from his birthplace on rue de la Tour-Maubourg. In 2023, the restaurantmovesagain, tothe brand-newHotel Norman in the8tharrondissement . "My cooking will be the same.In fact,I don't like to becalled fusion.It'sconfusing. I cookThaifood with French products . "