Lessons from his parents

WAY back in 1957, Pitaya Phanphensophon’s Chinese immigrant parents Khun Srichai and Patama opened their first Coca restaurant in Bangkok’s Surawong Road. Coca, which means delicious in Chinese, was among the first to introduce Cantonese and suki (Thai hot pot) to Thailand.
The following year, Pitaya, was born and he essentially grew up in the restaurant world.
However, he opted to study filmmaking in university. But when his father died, he returned home to take over the family business at his mother’s behest.
From a shophouse in Bangkok, Pitaya has since grown his family’s Coca restaurants to a renowned international brand and worldwide chain with over 40 outlets around the globe. In 1994, he also started his own restaurant chain under the Mango Tree brand name.
Some Malaysians might remember Coca when it first opened in Malaysia 27 years ago. But now, after a seven-year absence, the brand returns with the opening of Coca in Bangsar Shopping Centre.
New franchise owners Jannio Shun and Elizabeth Thea Lee of Coca Malaysia used to dine at the earlier outlet in Subang Parade, and decided to bring back the chain that gave them so many good memories.
Pitaya, who was at the launch of the new Coca, told how he learned all about food and cooking from the conversations his parents would have over the dinner table.
Having never formally been trained as a chef himself, he hates to be called one, which he stated succintly in his book, I’m Not a Chef ... But I Sure am a Good Cook!.
He really started to cook only while in boarding school in Canada when his parents sent him a rice cooker after he told them he was craving for rice.
He secretly cooked for his friends in the dorms, starting with something simple like rice with Chinese sausage, and slowly getting more creative with ingredients and flavours.
As a Thai of Cantonese descent, his food captures his heritage as well as having a contemporary twist.
He still holds fast to the lessons he learnt from his parent: their emphasis on the freshness of ingredients and high-quality cooking, but has since added his own: besides tasting good, a dish should look and smell good as well, and be a treat for all the senses.
Pitaya has since retired after having handed over the running of the business to the next generation. He now plays more of an ambassador role for the brand.
“I do go into the kitchen to help train and inspire youngsters,” he said, adding that he also comes up with new recipes and sources for the best ingredients from all over Thailand to use in the restaurants.
His daughter, Nathalie, is now the COO. A nutritionist who studied food technology in university, Nathalie has even worked with British celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal at his Development Lab kitchen.
Asked if she feels the pressure of living up to her family legacy, Nathalie said: “Yes, because we have this 60-year heritage. To build that was not an easy journey.
“There was a lot of passion and commitment, and not many restaurant chains last three generations. That is what I value and that is what I look up to.”

Pitaya’s other three children also help in different ways. One son is the architect who helps design the outlets, another is in finance while his other daughter, Robin, is a lawyer turned farmer.
Pitaya said Robin’s farms grow the chillies that are used in Coca’s sauces, explaining that different chillies give off different levels of heat, aroma and colour.
The kind Robin grows make Coca’s sauces more distinctive.
One way he ensures quality control is to produce all the sauces he needs for his various outlets from one factory in Thailand. This means that the base (sauce) is the same for all the outlets with only fresh ingredients sourced locally.
Explaining Coca’s longevity, Pitaya said: “We evolved but we kept the core of it. Whatever we cook, it must be good food, comfort food.
“We started as a Chinese Thai restaurant and now we have a French restaurant. We did it to stay in the game. We are probably the only restaurant chain that offers a variety of dining options.”