The British cookery scene suffers from a lack of authentic female Thai chefs and Tukata is the perfect choice to fill the gap. She is passionate about her knowledge of Thai food and enthusiastic about bringing it into the world.
Tuk Tuk Foods is first and foremost a family business, emulating the values of Tukata's Thai heritage, offering only the finest Thai cuisine to leave customers desiring more.
A truly authentic story....
Born in Bangkok, Tukata was the eleventh of twelve children. Tuk's mother, Thien Tong (Golden Candle), was always a bright light of inspiration and wisdom in her daughter's life. Growing up in the 1940's, when the war was racing across Europe and the Far East, she was trained in the Thai Royal Household by her aunt who was a chef there. It was here where Tuk learnt the art of pounding, chopping and grinding Thai herbs and spices. Tuk's knowledge and wisdom of Thai cooking, takes in three generations of expertise and, with a passion for creativity and a vision for a healthier life, her cooking reflects this. It's fair to say her love of food is one ingredient that gives her family recipes a life of their own.
In 1987, Tukata left Bangkok and moved to England with her British husband, David, who spent his childhood growing up in the Georgian market town of Stamford, Lincolnshire.
Tuk had a passion for local organic food and being surrounded with local farmers, made her anxious to experiment and adapt her original style of Thai food using local produce.
Although in 1987 the British public were familiar with Indian and Chinese food, Tuk found that consumers generally had little knowledge of Thai food. With love and support from her husband, 1994 saw the arrival of a new style of restaurant; Mai Thai Supermarket and Noodle House. There she would cook in an open kitchen (a challenge that many chefs shy away from even today) to show customers how Thai people prepared and served Thai food.
When the Noodle Shop closed, Tuk found herself inundated with requests from her customers saying how much they missed her style and taste of cooking, begging her to do something else so that they could eat her food again.
Tuk no longer wished to stay in the restaurant business but knowing what her customers liked best, she began making her sauces and pastes at home in her kitchen - thus Tuk Tuk Foods was born.
In 2004, she entered the renowned Guild of Fine Foods' Great Taste Awards and won several Gold, Silver and Bronze awards for her dips and sauces. Having spent the past 2 years researching, testing and of course cooking, Tukata has returned, and in addition to her existing award winning collection, developed a range of new products, services and recipes which are true to Thai taste.
David believes in his wife and, with his passion for landscape and agriculture, has supported Tukata from the beginning. As Mai Thai opened, both David and Tukata supported each other helping them to achieve their goals. Today we see a fourth generation of the family working towards future achievements as David and Tukata's three children take their place in the family business.
Tukata would like to dedicate her life's success to her husband David Bird and their three children.
