24: My Medium, Not Your Medium, with Anucha Kongthavorn of Mae Krua

In 2007, Anucha Kongthavorn stepped off a plane in San Francisco from his native Thailand, and got a job cooking the same day. He's spent his career in the service industry, from restaurant busser to cruise ship butler, culminating in opening his own Thai food take out, Mae Krua. He joins us to talk about his journey, shares his philosophy on serving others, provides advice on starting a restaurant, and explains why his restaurant regulars asked about his emotions before ordering.

In this episode, he tells us

• the origin of the name "Mae Krua"


• how he got into the service business


• the value of persistence


• why he uses feeling and emotion when making food


• how to recognize if you're in the wrong job


• why thinking deeply about food is the first step of opening a restaurant


• the impact of emotions on the size of a tablespoon


• why he stopped using food delivery services like GrubHub


• much, much more... we get philosophical on this one.

Links and Show Notes

• 331 Cortland


• Star Cruises


• Princess Cruises


• CCSF: City College of San Francisco


• ESL (English as a Second Language)


• de Young Café


• Paulie’s Pickling


• Lonely Planet


• Mae Krua in Lonely Planet


• Yelp


• Amazon Prime (Amazon Restaurants is now closed)


• Grubhub/Eat24


• Uber Eats


• Definition of veganism | The Vegan Society


• The Vegan Diet — A Complete Guide for Beginners


• Ukiah Temple/City of 10,000 Buddhas

Our thanks to Anucha for joining us. We wish him the best of luck in whatever he decides to do next.

Save 25% at Spice Hound and NeoCocoa!

The holiday season is upon us, and as a special “thank you” for being a Lettuce Wrap listener, we’re offering you 25% off all items at both NeoCocoa and SpiceHound online stores! Listen to the episode for the special website and discount code!

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That’s a wrap!

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Special Guest: Anucha Kongthavorn, Mae Krua.

Sponsored By:

• Spice Hound & NeoCocoa:

  The holiday season is upon us, and as a special “thank you” for being a Lettuce Wrap listener, we’re offering you 25% off all items at both NeoCocoa and SpiceHound online stores! Listen to the episode for the special website and discount code!