Taking a Thai cooking class in Bangkok is a pretty amazing way to get a taste of Thailand. When Travelocity Gnational Gnomad Kelly Stilwell visited Thailand on a cruise, she participated in a Thai cooking class in Bangkok with Atlanta native Dwight Turner. A Bangkok-based chef with a heart of gold, Dwight saw a need and started Courageous Kitchen, where a portion of the proceeds from the class benefits local youth and their families. We caught up with Kelly and asked her to share more about her experience for our Travel for Good initiative.

When asked to choose my excursions for Thailand on Holland America’s Southeast Asia cruise, the first activities I looked for were food related. Who knew the Courageous Kitchen Thai cooking class would be led by a chef from the states? Meeting Chef Dwight and seeing the good he’s bringing to this area was a really special experience.

Thai Cooking Class in Bangkok

The restaurant where Dwight Turner holds Courageous Kitchen isn’t fancy, but it is a great way to learn about local cuisine. The kitchen has enough supplies for about twelve people to learn to make several Thai dishes. After class, everyone sits down for a meal together. Along the way, Chef Dwight shares why he decided to begin this journey. He told me, “I was looking for a way to give back, but just didn’t know what to do.” A friend invited him to volunteer to teach English, and he knew right away this was something he wanted to continue doing.

Courageous Kitchen Team

Courageous Kitchen Thai Cooking Class History

I had a chance to talk with Dwight about how Courageous Kitchen came to be. He told me he found a residence that had enough room for a teaching kitchen, so he decided to try to combine his passions of cooking and teaching. He said he was surprised that a city so well known for its food still had communities where people were struggling to feed themselves. Dwight’s goal was to make a difference by helping to fund basic needs, feed the hungry, and educate people so they would be able to lift themselves out of poverty. When you go on this excursion with Holland America, part of the proceeds goes toward assisting Courageous Kitchen in their efforts.

Learning About Thai Food

Before heading to the Courageous Kitchen headquarters, we took a tour of a local market. One thing I learned early on during this cruise; foodies stick together! I had already gotten to know a few of the members of our group during other foodie events, so it was fun to experience learning about Thai food with my new friends. I was introduced to a lot of unfamiliar fresh produce.

Produce market in Bangkok Thailand

A guide explained what different fruits and vegetable were and let us try them. The one below is called Mangosteen, and it became one of my favorites. The flavor and texture are similar to lychees.

Mangosteen at a market in Bangkok

One of the most popular fruits in Thailand is the durian fruit. Truth be told, I didn’t try it. I’ve heard it referred to as the stinkiest fruit in the world! It must have redeeming qualities as many Thai sauces contain durian. All the street food I ate in Southeast Asia was wonderful, and Thailand was no exception. We are simply used to a different way of life here in the states. Once you get used to the open air markets, you’ll see there is nothing to fear but missing out on something delicious.

Thai street food

Thai Cooking Class

Once we arrived for the Thai cooking class, Chef Dwight had everything set up outside, but he left the work to us. First, one of the young women who had been learning from him taught us how to prepare a bright purple iced Butterfly Pea Flower tea. The Butterfly pea flower grows in most regions of Southeast Asia. It’s a delicious and refreshing caffeine-free drink.

Butterfly Pea Flower Tea

For our starter of Tom Kha coconut soup, we cut up our vegetables inside where it was a little cooler before going outside to our cooking stations.

Vegetables for soup

Once the ingredients were prepared, we took our plates outside and began the cooking process.

The soup was easy to prepare and everyone was excited to try it at home.

Tom Kha coconut soup

Chef Dwight had a local beer for us to try as a reward for a job well done.

Our main dish was one of my favorites, Shrimp Pad Thai. Our instructor taught us how to prepare the shrimp. They cook them with the heads on, snapping them off before eating — a new experience for me! I thought about escaping with this bowl of shrimp but I’m pretty sure my classmates would have come after me!

Shrimp for Pad Thai

We each put together the rest of the ingredients for the Pad Thai, adding the shrimp last. It was a fantastic meal.

Shrimp Pad Thai

We were all so full, but we still had dessert coming. Mango and sticky rice were a perfect ending to our class.

Thai dessert

Learn More About Courageous Kitchen

Who’s hungry for Thai food? If you get the opportunity to go to Southeast Asia, book a Thai Cooking Class with Courageous Kitchen. There’s no better way to get a real taste of Thailand, and you’ll be helping the local youth get a better start.

Travelocity’s Travel for Good™ program aims to inspire travelers to give back in ways big and small throughout their journeys. To learn more about the program, get involved in a local community or start planning your next Travel for Good trip, please visit Travelocity.com/TravelForGood.

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Kelly Stilwell

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