In our April cover story, senior staff writer Ligaya Figueras spoke with 11 visionaries who have altered St. Louis’ culinary scene. They told us their experience in their own words. And all month long, we’ve been revealing the parts of the interview with these men and women that you didn’t see, along with their favorite recipes, right here in Extra Sauce. First we brought you more from Joe Edwards, then it was Karen Duffy, Patrick Horine and Pat Shannon-VanMatre. Now, we bring you more from Game Changer Suchin Prapaisilp, co-founder of Jay International Market and owner of The King and I and Global Food Market.
At that time in Thailand, I make less than $100 a month. Mom give me $700 to step in the land of the U.S.
It took two days to get to U.S. Bangkok, Karachi, Athens, Vienna, Amsterdam, Chicago. I never fly before. I don’t speak English at all. The stewardess ask, “What you drink?” You say “Coke” or “coffee.” I wait for my brother in Chicago six, seven hours. He doesn’t show up. I buy plane ticket to St. Louis. I wait in St. Louis airport from 10 to midnight for brother. In those days, no cell phone. That was 35 years ago. I always remember.
We lucky. Vietnamese refugees came to St. Louis. They went to church at St. Pius. After church, they come to shop. We pick up business every Sunday. Six months later, refugees from Cambodia came. Somehow, we got some Spanish customers. They eat rice sometimes. At that time, Schnucks, Dierbergs, Shop ‘n Save and Kroger don’t have rice. They know we sell rice. Later on, we go to Chicago and try to bring Spanish goods. We start small: plantain, jalapeño pepper, black bean, pinto bean – the basic stuff. At that time, Tropicana, the Mexican grocery store, not open yet. Then we add Bosnian products and learn from that. On Grand, there used to be a German grocery store. It closed. German customers ask, “Why you don’t carry German products?” We start carrying German products. Now they come to us for all the pickles. Now we’ve got more ethnic groups coming, and we try to provide what they need.
We go to Chicago every Wednesday to bring back things to St. Louis. In the wintertime we still go there. We had an old UPS truck we bought really cheap. One time, we had to leave Chicago late – 8 or 9 o’clock, try to get here by 2 o’clock. Know what happened? Old highway. The bottom of the truck open about 2 by 3 feet. The bottom got so rusty. Everything go down on street. It took about two and a half hours to collect everything. Nighttime. Cold. One had to be in the hold to make sure the merchandise not fall down in the hole. We don’t buy new truck. We get plywood to cover the hole. Go back next week.
My brother Chat Chai, we call him Jay. Jay International Food – that from his name. He in Thailand now. He left the country about 18 years ago.
Pat also worked at King and I in the beginning. After that he go to open first restaurant on Delmar, Thai Café. He worked at Jays a short period, too.
I dreamed to be in a bigger place. I like this location because not too big, not too small. One day, I received in the mail a flyer. Auction! Right away, I drive from South Grand to here. Wife said, “Space too big for you.” I say, “No, we go for it.”
We grow up with a close family. Dad and Mom always tell us to stick together. Four boys and three girls. Six are in USA and one in Thailand. My sisters work at Jay.
I used to work at Al’s Steakhouse downtown. I didn’t have a car. My brother had to pick me up. One night, his car broke down. It was midnight so I had to walk from that restaurant to I-55 South, exit Germania. Long walk. I get home at 3 a.m. It was cold too. Wintertime. You do what you have to do.
For one of Prapaisilp’s favorite recipe, click here.
For a recipe for the same dish from Supatana “Pat” Prapaisilapa, fellow Game Changer and Prapaisilp’s brother, click here.
This article appears in April 2011.