PRESENTED BY
Feels like it was just yesterday that Manchester City was celebrating their quadruple trophy Premier League win on the streets of Manchester. And if you’ve been following our Instagram, then you would probably find Chef May familiar as she was also part of the fanfare and celebrations when we visited the UK with Australia’s award-winning winery, Wolf Blass.
Chef May’s dedication and passion for cooking won her the opportunity to visit London and Manchester where she got to share her culinary skills with the Man City stars. As a humble self-taught chef who made the brave jump from an office environment to pursue cooking, this trip is a testament to her skills as she was one of the South East Asia winners who earned a spot on the trip of a lifetime thanks to Wolf Blass.
A UK Debut
The chase for her passion brought Chef May to the UK for the first time, where she was ushered straight to the Wembley Stadium for the FA Cup 2018/2019 Finals. Sitting amongst a crowd of more than 85,000 Mancunians and Watford fans and watching the Man City players take home the title was certainly an exhilarating and eye-opening experience for her.
Chef May also took a private tour of Etihad Stadium, where she learned about the Man City club’s history and everything it took for first team players to get to where they are today. Touring the players’ locker room, training facility, and the Manchester’s Youth Academy, the Thai chef had a better understanding of the tough and often grueling journey players had to go through in the pursuit of their passion.
A Cookout in Manchester
Three players from the Man City first team were put to the cooking challenge with Chef May – Fernandinho Luiz Roza, Claudio Bravo, and Fabian Delph showed a high level of perseverance as they were tasked to recreate Chef May’s northern Thai-style beef tartare with avocado cream.
Even though Claudio Bravo had the most cooking experience amongst them, it was Delph who pulled off the win. At the end of the challenge, Chef May gave all three players high praise for attempting to recreate the recipe, especially since it’s not a cuisine or activity that the players are used to. The austere level of discipline, dedication and professionalism displayed by the players are common traits shared with Chef May.
What’s next in the coming months for May
Revealing to Coconuts in a post-trip interview, Chef May shared that she was inspired by the passion and grit of the Man City players that she met, and that she is fully committed to her goal of being an owner-chef. She is currently in the midst of working on new restaurant projects and have been commuting between Chiang Mai, Bangkok and Phuket to work with authentic Thai restaurants that offer a contemporary twist. This is all part of her grand ambition to be Thailand’s leading chef and it is slowly unfolding just as planned.
Apart from her invaluable experience in the UK with Premier League champions Manchester City, Chef May has also mentioned that she’d would like to explore and eventually master the art of food and wine pairings, starting with the Shiraz from Barossa and Cabernet Sauvignon from Coonawarra, describing them both to have unique character and body — suitable for any pairing with cuisine.
Reader Interactions