Today, I'm featuring Talat Market and chef Parnass Savang. He’s the co-founder of Talat Market in Atlanta. As a first-generation Thai-American, he’s learned to blend his cultural background in the form of unique and flavorful dishes that he describes as Georgian Thai.You’ll hear about when he first fell in love with Thai food and how he began to find connections between his cultural roots and his southern upbringing. He talks about the balance between authenticity and creativity when it comes to representing a culture through its cuisine. He also shares some of his creative inspiration and a few of the dishes that represent his creative process.

What you'll learn from Chef Parnass Savang at Talat Market

The afterhours dishes his parents made in their restaurant 3:22His grandmother’s signature Thai dish 4:13Developing his Georgian Thai style 6:17A unique Thai dish with Southern influence 9:39Chef Parnass Savang's sources of inspiration 11:47Looking to other cultures for menu ideas at Talat Market 13:13One of the most fascinating techniques in Thai cuisine 15:25Why you have to be careful fermenting meat 16:09The fun of doing collaborations in Talat Market 17:17One memorable collaboration with a BBQ pop-up 18:10The challenges of frequent menu changes 20:05Why he values his business partnership 21:16His thoughts on his first Talat Market pop-up experience 22:13How he knew he was at the end of what was possible 23:06Crowdfunding a restaurant 23:58His experience at culinary school 25:41Eating Thai food in New York 27:05Why he fell in love with Thai Food 27:48His dream come true stage experiences 28:18What he learned in Thai Kitchens 48:46His best flavor memory in Thailand 29:38Advice for aspiring chefs 31:43Remembering that this is a people business 32:29His most rewarding experience so far 33:13An exciting project in the works 34:44How his respect for the Thai culture shows up in his work 35:52Spots to eat in Atlanta 37:18His Guilty Pleasure Food 37:41Cookbooks that inspire him 38:08Pet peeves in the kitchen 38:29His favorite kitchen utensil 38:42Gadgets he can’t live without 39:17Condiments he uses the most 39:49The chef he’d like to collaborate with the most 40:09His most challenging dish that was on the menu 40:32

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Links to most downloaded episodes (click on any picture to listen to the episode)

Chef Sheldon Simeon

Chef Andy Doubrava

Chef Chris Kajioka

Chef Suzanne Goin

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It felt like a band pouring years of music into their debut album—that was my first food pop-up. But then, I hit a creative wall; I'd given it my all.

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Every collaboration adds a new skill to my repertoire, spurring me to craft a unique dish under pressure—I can't let my collaborator or patrons down.

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You're going to fail a lot. That's just the nature of cooking. You fail until you understand the technique or your station. Follow the chef's recipes, ask him questions, be clean, and organized. All that stuff is important.

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