When husband and wife Matee and Kittiya Kulpanpinunt of Krabi opened a small restaurant in 1990, they had no idea to what culinary heights the endeavour would take them. Named ’May & Mark’ after their two children, the eatery offered a selection of pre-cooked curries to be served over rice. About a year after opening, the couple first noticed foreign travellers strolling the streets of Krabi. ‘The travelers would stop and stare at the pots of curries, but very few would come in and eat’, re­membered Kittiya. ‘We didn’t know why. Only later did we realise that many foreigners won’t eat food that’s been cooked and then left to cool’.

   In an effort to cater to the visitors, the couple put pancakes on the menu. It was a start, but things didn’t take off until they began renting out spare rooms above their restaurant to travelers. One boarder, a New Zealander named John Kean, stayed for two months. When not exploring Krabi, John took the time to teach Matee and Kittiya to bake bread and cook farang food. Soon the menu began to expand and reflect the tastes of other travelers who passed through and left behind their favorite recipes. ‘A Californian taught us how to do some Mexican dishes, and we learned to make food from Sweden, Denmark, Germany and Italy from visitors from those countries’, said Kittiya.

   Yet it was John’s bread-making skills and his willingness to share them that has put May & Mark on the map. ‘John has been coming to Thailand for years now and every time he visits, he teaches us something new’, said Matee.

   Besides whole-wheat bread, Matee and Kittiya are now baking sourdough, French and Bavarian bread, which they serve at their own restaurant as well as supplying to over ten other establish­ments in Krabi. ‘We have regular farang customers who come from as far as Phuket to stock up on bread. We’re now using flour imported from Australia and we’re the only bakery in southern Thai­land making sourdough bread’, said Matee. ‘We’ve never been outside of Thailand. Everything we’ve learned to make, all these different types of food, we’ve learned from travelers who came in and wanted to eat something from home’.

   So what’s next for May & Mark? Kittiya is now experimenting with fusion cuisine. ‘I’ve been using Thai curries as a topping for pizza. Farang love it — one taste and they’re hooked!’
 

Thailand 9th Edition - July 2001 Joe Cummings, Steven Martin This best-selling guide gives you the goods on surviving crazy Bangkok, exploring exotic landscapes and discovering what lies behind that famous Thai smile.