Phuket-based Wandee, the youngest of seven sisters from Thailand’s Songhkla province, heard about the ‘Thai Chefs’ competition on television and immediately put in her entry. Sure of getting onto the shortlist of 200, she demonstrated a quiet confidence – not only in her ability to prepare mouth-watering dishes, but also in knowing what the judges would be looking for.

To enter, she had to submit a menu together with reasons for her choices – and explain why she should make it to the shortlist. Reading behind the enigmatic smile, you can tell Wandee’s confidence comes, at least in part, from knowing how to push all the right buttons…

Whisked off to Bangkok for the next phase, she romped through a series of training courses conducted by top internationally-renowned chefs from different 5-star hotels. Training completed, the entrants (now down to 30) had, again, to make a submission in writing, detailing a dish of their choice, where and how they would buy the ingredients, how to prepare and why they selected their particular dish. At this stage, they had to opt for one of five categories.

Again, Wandee demonstrated a combination of culinary skill and strategic resourcefulness. Having stayed quietly in the background during training, soaking up the knowledge on offer and observing her ‘classmates’ – most of whom had vastly more traditional culinary training and experience, she decided to avoid over-subscribed categories and opted to submit an appetizer, ‘Deep Fried Spring Roll with Prawn Massaman Curry’, for her final entry. Explaining how she settled on this dish, her own creation, she said, “Massaman curry is a classic southern Thai taste that many people don’t get the chance to experience because, as a main course, it can be very heavy”.

The judges were obviously convinced, as Wandee won her category and was whisked off by Thailand’s Department of Export Promotion, along with the other four winners, for 10 days in Los Angeles as part of a culinary roadshow. Taking part in cooking demonstrations and classes, as well as cooking her speciality for guests at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel’s Boulevard Restaurant, left little time for soaking up the sights and sounds of LA; a day at Disneyland and one at Universal Studios – both part of the official programme – were all she managed. “I’d have loved to spend more time there and I have friends who invited me to stay with them. But the programme was very rigid and I couldn’t even change my return ticket to stay on longer,” said Wandee wistfully.

Back to reality, Phuket and work. Asked if winning the competition had helped her career at all, she said, “Yes. As a result of winning the competition, I got a job for this high season on the charter catamaran Chameleon, with a guaranteed minimum salary. Usually cooks on charter yachts are employed on a casual basis only for individual charters, but I guess I’m good for the owner’s marketing because I won.”

But it’s not only the judges who appreciated the passion and attention to detail that Wandee brings to her job. A couple of comments from recent charter guests add practical acclaim to her official achievement:

“Wandee’s cooking is superb. No wonder she was selected to represent Thailand in Los Angeles for promoting Thailand and Thai food. We would be hard-pressed to find a restaurant that can cook with such passion and quality. And, on top of that, Wandee's a real pleasure to have on the yacht.”

“Wandee is a marvellous Thai chef whose professionalism and love for food had us always looking forward to the next meal.”

All heady stuff for someone who only recently entered the world of cooking at sea. Wandee recalled her first job on board, as cook on the catamaran Ruby: “We went to Burma, to the Mergui Archipelago. The waves were so big and I was really scared. I got seasick too, but I had a job to do – cooking for 14 people – so I just had to get on with it.”

And, as a final note: “I love this work; I have a career but, at the same time, I feel free,” she said, adding, “I’m really proud of my achievement. I proved what a Thai lady can do in an environment dominated by men. I know my Dad was proud of me too, although he never really expresses his feelings much.”