Thai Tribute to Tui Sungkamee
Honoring a vibrant legacy
HOSTED BY ROY CHOI AND THE LINE HOTEL Suthiporn "Tui" Sungkamee was known for elevating Thai cuisine in Los Angeles to new heights. The co-owner of Jitlada restaurant, working with his sister, Sarintip "Jazz" Singsanong, specialized in southern Thai dishes that attracted crowds and chefs from across the country. (Jitlada was always included in Jonathan Gold’s 101 Best Restaurants list.) Sungkamee died last fall, but his influence can be seen in the cooking of a number of local chefs. "The vibrancy of Sungkamee’s approach to strong southern flavors proved that Thai chefs didn’t have to cook for some imagined non-Thai customer," Gold wrote after Sungkamee’s death. "They could be just as successful cooking for themselves." Sungkamee's cooking inspired customers to "discover the challenging food of his native region — to embrace the ideas of regionality, unusual spices and challenging flavors themselves."