Mark Phanpreut, also known as Chef Moo, trained as a chef in a Thai restaurant in Manhattan, NY, in the early 1980s, where he apprenticed under the head chef for several years. Later, he decided to take his love for food in a different direction by entering the grocery store business in South Carolina. However, selling food did not bring him joy, so in 1991, he made another move to return to his passion for cooking. This time, he accepted a friend’s invitation to help start a restaurant in the American heartland of Kansas. Later that year, he moved to Kansas City and opened the city's second Thai restaurant: Thai Orchid in Mission.
After three years of hard work, the original owners decided to move back to Thailand, as they had a different vision for their future. Mark gladly stepped in and took over the restaurant in 1994. He became the owner of Thai Orchid and operated it for four years. In 1998, he sold the now-established restaurant to the Rojjanasrirat family.
During the transition, Chef Moo stayed on to help train the current head chef, Mark. In 2008, he moved to Colorado, where he continued working as a chef at various establishments until his retirement in 2021. He then moved back to Kansas City to help raise his two grandsons. That’s when everything came full circle: we reconnected, and he rejoined us as a part-time chef, contributing 10-15 hours per week for the last three years. He mentioned that he did it for social reasons.
In July 2024, Chef Moo moved back to Thailand to oversee his dream home. He now lives with his chickens in their coop on land that includes a garden and a solar-powered home beside a nearby pond.
We are incredibly grateful for the time and effort he invested in the restaurant we know and love today. It was wonderful to have him with us again, and we wish him all the best in his new home in Thailand.
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