Under the mango tree

Massamun lamb.

Such bolstered trade routes should make the shipping of lemon grass, kaffir limes and other ingredients that much easier. At Mango Tree, the emphasis on fresh ingredients could hardly be stronger, as Phithaya demonstrated during a lobster pad thai class.

"The pad thai profile is sour, sweet and saltiness," says Phithaya, the hands-on CEO and self-effacing author of I'm Nota Chef But I Sure Am a Good Cook!" You add the salt and sugar last so as not to lose the flavor, and always use palm oil, not olive oil."

As he conjures up a salsa, green chili sauce and chili paste using ginger, shallots, limes and garlic, no powders or blenders are called into play. The pestle and mortar never had a stauncher champion. Use them to squeeze out the oil for more flavor. Use salt to draw out excess moisture.

One of the sauces looked a little like Bolognese.

"I think we may have borrowed that from Italy," he quips while attacking a lobster with scissors.

Most chefs live on a diet of stress and screaming at subordinates. Phithaya prefers pop music, politeness and champagne. He likes the simplicity of Jamie Oliver's cooking but is not a fan of Gordon Ramsay's colorful vocab.

With Thai cooking, you are not eating a lot of complex car-bohydrates or processed food. Some of the herbs help your immune system and some of the ingredients - garlic, chili - are aphrodisiacs," he says.