About Pakinnaka Thai Cooking School

Founder & Cooking instructor Wandee

Meet Chef Wandee – Your Cook Instructor

Founder of Pakinnaka Thai Cooking School & Foodie Culture Tour Khao Lak

Born in a small village in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Southern Thailand, Wandee grew up in a family of chefs. Her earliest memories are filled with the aromas of Southern Thai curries and handmade desserts cooked by her mother. She walked to school barefoot, studied in a local temple school, and loved sharing food that villagers brought to the monks – it’s where her passion for food, culture, and community truly began.

Wandee studied Journalism at university in Bangkok and earned a scholarship to study in Canada. She later worked as a writer, food critic, and assistant editor for a travel and culture magazine in Bangkok, before following her heart back into the kitchen. Over the years, she worked as a Chef l in New Zealand, Iceland, and even taught Thai language and culture in Russia.

In 2024, Wandee was invited to join the Amazon Prime Series “The World Cook – Season 2”, where she taught the final two contestants at her cooking school in Khao Lak – a moment of pride for her and her community.

Today, Chef Wandee runs Pakinnaka Thai Cooking School, where she welcomes food lovers from all over the world to cook, laugh, and learn together. She also hosts the Foodie Culture Tour, including Food Tasting at Hidden Takuapa, an off-the-beaten-path culinary tour that explores authentic Southern Thai flavors and local stories.

The Icelandic Experience

From March to August 2022 Wandee was invited by a restaurant in Iceland, Tanginn Restaurant, to come and work as a Thai chef. She developed a menu suited to the ingredients available in the North Atlantic by creating many new famous recipes including:“Massaman Lamb Shanks” which became a very popular dish among the locals. Tanginn Restaurant is a famous International restaurant located on Heimaey Island, which to the outside world is known as the Westman Island. After experiencing the North Atlantic summer with its weather, culture and food, Wandee returned to Khao Lak with new inspirations for her cooking school.

Click Here to See Where I Worked in Iceland
(Google Earth)