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Bangkok’s queen of crab omelets Jay Fai receives Icon Award from Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants

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ANCX Staff

<p>She’s arguably Thailand’s most famous cook, beloved by bloggers and travel shows the world over. Now she’s added another feather to her cap, this time from the prestigious Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants. </p><p>Legendary Bangkok chef Supinya Junsuta, better known as Jay Fai, is the recipient of the award giving body’s Icon Award – Asia 2021. Dubbed the queen of Thai street food, Jay Fai has been cooking at her open-air shophouse for over 40 years. Her modest restaurant has become a coveted destination for gourmets, chefs, celebrities and VIPS from within Thailand and from across the globe.</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/ancx/food-n-drink/2021/01/2jayfai.jpg"/><figcaption>Her modest restaurant has become a coveted destination for gourmets, chefs, celebrities and VIPS from within Thailand and from across the globe.</figcaption></figure></div><p>The 76-year old Jay Fai honours Bangkok’s much-admired street food culture by sourcing only premium ingredients for her dishes and applying cooking techniques she has developed over decades. One Bangkok Post food critic noted that the chef has the ability to “transform very ordinary, lunchtime-at-the-market dishes into masterpieces of local cuisine”. </p><p>While the menu at her Raan Jay Fai restaurant includes personal interpretations of popular Thai dishes such as yellow crab curry (poo pad phong karee), drunken noodles with seafood (pad kee mao talay) and tom yum soup, the chef has gained worldwide attention for her lauded crab meat omelet (khai jiao poo). </p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/ancx/food-n-drink/2021/01/3jayfai.jpg"/><figcaption>Jay Fai has been cooking in this open-air shophouse for over 40 years.</figcaption></figure></div><p>Her crab omelet is always made with an abundance of the highest quality crab in the city wrapped in a crispy fried egg casing, the dish – priced at THB1000 [US$31] – has attained iconic status in its own right. Cooking every item herself, Jay Fai stirs flaming iron woks over charcoal fires while wearing her signature black apron, beanie cap and ski goggles to protect herself from the scalding oil and searing heat.</p><p>Resilient and resourceful, she tapped into her culinary talents once she started working alongside her mother and sisters selling rice porridge and chicken noodles from their food cart. To distinguish herself from other street vendors, she devoted herself to developing new skills and recipes, as well as experimenting with premium seafood. With single-minded determination, the self-taught cook mastered Japanese omelets and later used those techniques to create her signature crab dish.</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/ancx/food-n-drink/2021/01/4jayfai.jpg"/><figcaption>William Drew, Director of Content for Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, says Jay Fai is “a purist with a passion for blending culinary traditions with innovation.&quot;</figcaption></figure></div><p>Despite charging higher prices than other street food vendors, Jay Fai has attracted a devoted following with her generous portions, impeccable food quality and exuberant energy. In 2018, Raan Jay Fai became the first and only street food venue in Thailand to earn a Michelin star. Her sole focus, however, remains serving the queues of diners who flock nightly to her seven-table restaurant. Rather than compromise the integrity, authenticity or quality of each dish, she remains the restaurant’s only cook.</p><p>Jay Fai joins a prestigious line-up of recent winners, including Japanese chefs Seiji Yamamoto and Yoshihiro Murata. Her achievement will be highlighted as part of the online ceremony for Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2021 on 25th March, which will be broadcast to a global audience via Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants Facebook and the 50 Best Restaurants TV YouTube channel.</p><p>Voted for by the 300-plus members of the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy, the Icon Award honors culinary figures who have made an outstanding contribution to their community and the broader restaurant industry. </p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/ancx/food-n-drink/2021/01/5jayfai.jpg"/><figcaption>76-year old Jay Fai remains the restaurant&#x27;s only cook.</figcaption></figure></div><p>Jay-Fai’s celebrity status was reinforced in 2019 when Netflix launched its Street Food: Asia series and devoted its premiere episode to the veteran cook.</p><p>William Drew, Director of Content for Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, says: “A purist with a passion for blending culinary traditions with innovation, Jay Fai embodies the spirit of Asian gastronomy. Her unwavering dedication to her craft has earned her the respect of her peers and makes her a worthy recipient of this year’s Icon Award.” </p><p>Accepting the award, Jay Fai says: &quot;I am grateful to be recognized for my hard work and craftsmanship. This is truly the reward of a lifetime for an ordinary chef like me. But most importantly, I hope everyone can learn from my story that dedication, hard work and patience can help you achieve your goals.&quot;</p>

<p>Receiving her award, the famous cook said her story is, more than anything, about hard work, dedication and patience. </p><p> </p><p> </p>

Receiving her award, the famous cook said her story is, more than anything, about hard work, dedication and patience.