Yotaka Martin

San Maket, Chiang Rai, Thailand

Yotaka grew up in the village of San Maket, Chiang Rai on a farm where her family grew rice, herbs, fruit, and raised animals. She spent her childhood in the kitchen with her mom, aunts and uncles, and grandma cooking what they grew. Wherever she traveled, she ended up in the kitchen learning different dishes, techniques, and usage for regional ingredients to develop her own unique cooking style.

Upon moving to the USA, Yotaka made it her goal to introduce people to the unique flavors that remind her of home, so people who haven’t had the chance to spend time in smaller Thai towns and villages would have the opportunity to taste the dishes that her friends and family are most proud of.

Alex received his BA in Cultural and Regional Studies from Prescott College in 2008 and an MA in Southeast Asian Studies from Chulalongkorn University in 2016. As a lover of travel and working in multicultural environments, he spent twelve years living in Thailand where he learned to speak fluent Thai. He’s contributed to projects surrounding micro-hydro energy, sustainable agriculture and fishing, anti-human trafficking and youth outreach, village based education, and language and cultural preservation initiatives. During his time working in village across Thailand, Alex realized that the deepest connections he made with community partners were had at the end of the day in the kitchen- cooking together and sharing the meals they made- often over a bottle of rice whiskey. Alex loves learning and sharing the stories of the people and communities who have welcomed Yotaka and him into their homes and shared their wonderful recipes with them.