At a young age, I’ve always delighted in  food and cooking.  Growing up on a farm in Phetchaburi,Thailand my family and I dealt with food daily.

I quickly learned how to grow, pick, and cut produce and play with different Thai flavors through my parents and grandparents, who weren’t just  farmers but also great cooks.  At the age of 5, armed with their techniques and secrets, I proudly cooked my first dish --- stir-fried egg. Thinking about this time in my life, still warms me up with joy and fondness and continues to drive my passion for cooking. 
I would travel to different parts of Thailand as I grew older,  only to discover how varied the preparations and flavors were from each region. Eventually at 15 years old, I would settle in Bangkok and would enjoy its street food more than anywhere else I’ve traveled. This ultimately gave me a deeper appreciation for food and cooking.  
I decided to take my passion to the next level and go to culinary school in Bangkok for 3 years and then became chef at Bourbon Streets Cajun Restaurant where I learned food presentation, handling dinner tables, waiting etiquette and catering large events.
When I moved to San Francisco, I, of course, would eat at a handful of Thai restaurants but would find myself surprised and disappointed. The food wood look beautiful but the taste was somewhat strangely off. Some were too sweet, others too watery or too oily. Others, were even buttery when we don’t  use butter in Thai cuisine. I decided to just cook for myself and my  family from then on. One day, I got invited to give a cooking lesson to a personal chef and ten other guests in Marin, who were supporting a Buddhist temple. We had a wonderful dinner with the monks and everyone was delighted with the food.  I was elated to have the opportunity to share my passion for Thai food, and pretty much decided to become a cooking instructor from then on. I went to the  Culinary Business Academy and now is  a certified Culinary Inspiration Instructor in the San Francisco Bay Area.  
I’m not a doctor nor a nutritionist but I’ve come to developed a passion for holistic nutrition. I’ve been cooking and eating healthy in my personal life and have been teaching people how to cook healthy Thai meals for over 10 years now. I spent a few years trying to find the healthy ingredients to substitute the unhealthy high sodium, and hidden MSG in sauces to much success. But I still wanted to know more about food and nutrition, so I signed up for the holistic nutrition class called Health Coach Training Program at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition just to learn more about holistic food and lifestyle but not necessarily coach someone.  I wanted to share my knowledge to my family, friends, and whomever wants to cook and eat healthier.  
During my training, I studied over 100 dietary theories, practical lifestyle management techniques, and innovative coaching methods with some of the world’s top health and wellness experts. My teachers included Dr. Andrew Weil, Director of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine; Dr. Deepak Chopra, leader in the field of mind-body medicine; Dr. David Katz, Director of Yale University’s Prevention Research Center; Dr. Walter Willett, Chair of Nutrition at Harvard University; Geneen Roth, bestselling author and expert on emotional eating; and many other leading researchers and nutrition authorities.
My education has equipped me with extensive knowledge in holistic nutrition, health coaching, and preventive health. Drawing on these skills and my knowledge of different dietary theories, I work with clients to help them make lifestyle changes that produce real and lasting results.  In my class, I strive to give my students good food and good memories. I prefer to use fresh organic meat & produce without MSG or preservatives. From the curry paste to the sauces to the tamarind paste, all are made sure to be fresh and natural. My students are guaranteed to have a warm, educational, and fulfilling experience at the Mama Thai Cooking Club.

Thai Cooking Class & Traveling (Soon!)

Here’s a Bit More About Me

About Me & Cooking Class

Jirayu Sirirueng
Owner at Mama Thai Cooking Club.
Certified Culinary Cooking Instructor in 2003.
Start teaching Authentic Thai cooking class in San Francisco Bay area since 2003
Certified National Registry Of Food Safety Professionals in 2003.
Certified Holistic Health at Institute for Integrative Nutrition Health Coach / Holistic Health counselor since 2014.
Past Article:
The Best of Thai Cuisine Gilroy 2004
The Bold Italic​ San Francisco
Pacifica Magazine 08 / 2019