Michelin star no treat for street vendor

Bangkok legend says she’d like to give it back

Jay Fai was a Bangkok streetfood legend well before it received a nod from Michelin late last year. Locals and tourists alike were already lining up for its famous crab omelettes, prepared to spend more than $ 30 ( 800 baht) per roll.

Despite the price, Bangkokians “can’t get enough” of the scroll- shaped omelettes, which are stuffed with “what seems like the meat from half of the crab population of the Gulf of Thailand,” Leela Punyaratabandhu describes in her cookbook, Bangkok.

The s t al l , helmed by 72- year- old chef- owner Supinya Junsuta ( a. k. a. Jay Fai or Je Fai), was awarded one star in Michelin’s first- ever guide to the Thai capital in December. It was the only Bangkok street food eatery to be recognized.

According to Eater, the distinction has only added to Jay Fai’s popularity — attracting even more tourists, food enthusiasts, journalists and even some tax officials. The chef has had to introduce a reservation system, and her daughter has quit her job so she can help out full-time.

“I wish I could give the star back already,” Junsuta told Eater. “Many people come just to see and take pictures and not necessarily to eat.”

Junsuta joins a growing list of acclaimed chefs to express the wish to abandon Michelin stars. Last year, French chef Sébastien Bras went public with his desire to be stripped of the three Michelin stars his restaurant has held for decades.

MANY PEOPLE COME JUST TO SEE AND TAKE PICTURES.