PUBLISHED : 30 Oct 2024 at 10:33
Michelin-star chef Supinya “Jay Fai” Junsuta has denied reports she plans to close her celebrated restaurant in Bangkok next year, saying she may be old but remains very healthy and cooks up to 15 hours a day.
She told ThaiNews that the reports were wrong. A reporter had earlier asked her if she had any thoughts about retiring, pointing out she was already in her 80s.
“Then I said I had a project in mind. From that one answer, the stories grew,” Jay Fai said. “Not yet. Next year I will remain in business. I won’t quit.”
The seven-time Michelin star winner also said she had a long-term schedule to cook in many other countries and it was evident she would not retire in the near future.
Although 81-years-old, Jay Fai said, she was still fit and she stood and cooked for up to 15 hours a day when her restaurant was open. Her Michelin-star restaurant on Mahachai Road in Phra Nakhon district of Bangkok opens four days a week, from Wednesday to Saturday.
The spurious reports of her planned retirement and the restaurant’s closure next year prompted Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra to say she intended to dine there before it closed.
Jay Fai said she would be greatly honoured to welcome the prime minister to her small eatery.