From grandma’s kitchen to NOK NOK’s head chef: meet Nawaporn Sukprasert

28.10.2026

Since October this year, Nawaporn Sukprasert has been leading the kitchen team at NOK NOK. Known as New to his colleagues, he has been part of the restaurant for four years and knows the team, the guests and their preferences inside out. His appointment as head chef was therefore a natural next step. Let’s get to know New better!

For Nawaporn Sukprasert, cooking has always been about more than food – it is a connection to home. Inspired by his grandmother, shaped by international experience and driven by a passion for authentic flavors, he now brings his knowledge and creativity to NOK NOK, introducing guests to the rich diversity of Thai cuisine.

How did you become a chef?

I fell in love with cooking as a child. My grandmother loved to cook and was always making food for everyone. Every time she cooked, I would help her, and over time, her passion for cooking gradually became my own. My grandmother always called me “Chef,” and every time I heard that, it inspired me to cook. I love seeing people happy when they eat the food I make.

I was always happy just cooking for my family, but at that time, I couldn’t really see myself becoming a chef. I knew I loved cooking, but I wasn’t sure how to turn that passion into a career. That’s why I decided to study tourism and hotel management and got a master’s degree in business administration. I thought it would give me more opportunities in the future.

I was doing my internship at So Bangkok Hotel and had the chance to watch chefs work in the hotel kitchens. Sometimes, I even helped them prepare ingredients. I started to look at cooking in a different way. I was impressed by how much effort and attention everyone put into their work, not only to make the food taste good but also to make it look beautiful on the plate. I also learned that working in a kitchen wasn’t always easy. Unexpected problems came up all the time, and everyone had to think quickly and find solutions.

All of this made me feel that being a chef was a challenging but interesting job. And I thought to myself, why not give it a try?

That’s when cooking became more than just something I loved doing. I began to think that maybe this was what I really wanted to do with my life.

What is your first food-related childhood memory, and is there a particular Thai dish that reminds you of home?

In Thailand, the Songkran festival is celebrated every April. According to ancient tradition, every household prepares food to offer to Buddhist monks at the temple, and my family was no exception. Our usual menu included rice noodles with fish curry in coconut milk, minced pork salad, and sticky rice with mango.

All of these dishes are staples in my family’s cuisine, but each has its own significance. For example, noodle dishes symbolize longevity and good health; minced pork salad (larb moo) represents fortune and good luck; and sticky rice with mango is popular because April is mango season, and there are many ripe mangoes available this month, so people traditionally make it into sticky rice with mango or preserved mango jam.

My grandmother always cooked, and my cousin and I helped, and this taught me about the ingredients and seasonings. We did this every year until 2010, when my cousin passed away in an accident. Every time I cook, it reminds me of her.

But the dish that always reminds me of home is stir-fried cucumber with minced pork and egg. When I was a child, my mother had to go to work early in the morning and didn’t have much time to prepare breakfast for me, so she made this dish very often. It’s a very easy dish to make in less than ten minutes, but full of flavor. I love the aroma of garlic sautéed with minced pork, eggs, and cucumber. The taste is sweet, savory, and not spicy.

When I moved to Estonia, I often made this dish whenever I missed home, but it was never as delicious as my mother’s version.

What brought you to Europe and to Estonia?

I got my opportunity through Chef Kamphan Pakdangphan, my former head chef at NOK NOK. He chose me to work with him because I had previously told him about my dream of becoming a chef and working abroad like he did.

It seemed like fate was on my side. Less than six months later, I received a phone call saying they were looking for someone to work in the kitchen at NOK NOK Restaurant in Estonia. I accepted without hesitation, saying I was ready to go.

Everything happened so quickly. Within a month, I had arrived in Estonia, a country I had never known before. I arrived in winter and saw snow for the first time in my life. I was so happy! I love cold weather, especially coming from Thailand, where it’s so hot! My family even joked, “Don’t forget to bring some snow back for us!”

Of course, after living here for a while, I started to understand just how cold and dark Estonian winters can really be. Sometimes I wake up and it’s still dark outside, and I think, “Is it really time to go to work already?” But I still look forward to winter every year because I love snow so much.

One thing that surprised me at first was how serious Estonian people seemed. I remember smiling at people in the supermarket, but they didn’t smile back. Sometimes I even wondered, “Are they angry with me?”

But one day, I asked a supermarket employee for help. The person looked very serious, and I was a little nervous. Even though we couldn’t communicate very well, they really tried their best to help me. And when we finished, they smiled at me. That small moment made me very happy! It helped me understand that people don’t always show kindness with a smile, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t kind. Sometimes you just need a little time to get to know them.

I’ve been living here for four years now, and honestly, I never imagined staying this long. Over these years, I’ve learned so much. I’ve been learning Estonian, discovering the culture through my colleagues, and joining local events. I genuinely enjoy learning new things about Estonia and its people.

Thai and Estonian food cultures are quite different. Since living and working in Estonia, have there been any local ingredients or food traditions that have surprised or inspired you?

If you ask me what my favorite Estonian food is, I’d have to say sauerkraut!

I first tried it at the Christmas market. I ordered a dish that came with sauerkraut, but at first, I decided not to eat it because I thought it probably wasn’t my kind of food. Normally, I’m not a big fan of fermented or pickled stuff. But then I felt bad about leaving food on my plate, so I thought, why not give it a try?

Honestly, the first bite really surprised me! It was delicious, but also very different from what I was used to. I wanted to try another bite, and before I knew it, I had finished all of it.

I have to admit, ever since that day at the Christmas market, I’ve always kept sauerkraut at home. I even eat it as a side dish with Thai food that I cook for myself. Surprisingly, they go really well together!

As for unusual food, I’ve tried quite a few things in Estonia. I enjoy trying almost anything. I’ve tried bear, deer, and even seal meat! Maybe these aren’t so unusual for Estonians, but for me, they were definitely something new because these kinds of meat aren’t commonly eaten in Thailand.

One time, a friend gave me some moose sausage, and I decided to turn it into a Thai-style spicy and tangy salad known as yum. I mixed it with chili, lime juice, and fresh Thai herbs. The combination of spicy, sour, and aromatic flavors worked really well with the sausage. It was delicious!

Now, if you’d ask me what I didn’t really enjoy, I’d probably say kohuke. The first time I tried kohuke, the taste was completely new to me. It was sweet, but it also had that slightly sour taste from the curd cheese, which was quite different from the desserts I grew up eating in Thailand. I wouldn’t say it was bad, but it was not something I would choose for myself.

If someone is visiting NOK NOK for the first time, what dish would you definitely recommend they try?

I want to show guests the diversity of Thai food, that when they think of Thai food, they don’t just think of spiciness. Each region of Thailand has its own unique cooking methods, ingredients, flavors, and characteristics. I want to use the menu at NOK NOK restaurant to introduce customers to Thai food even more, including dishes they may not have tried before.

So, this is why I encourage you to try a variety of dishes and share them, as this is part of Thai culinary culture. Having a diverse array of flavors on the table allows you to sample everything. This is exactly why we have created our tasting menu.

But if I had to choose just one dish, I’d go for something from my new menu: Kanang Moo Krob (wok-fried Brussels sprouts with crispy pork belly).

Now that you’re the head chef at NOK NOK, are there any new ideas or changes you’re excited to bring to the restaurant?

What I want to do is maintain NOK NOK’s unique identity and standards while gradually developing the menu to be more diverse. For example, I want NOK NOK to be a Thai restaurant where customers have a wide variety of choices, not only in terms of dishes but also different types of meat.

So, one of the first changes is that I will bring pork back to NOK NOK menu. Pork has always been an important part of Thai food culture. We use it in so many different dishes, and some of the most popular Thai dishes are actually made with pork.

I also think about guests who have visited Thailand before. When I talk to people who have travelled there, they often mention dishes like Pad Kra Pao Moo Sab (Thai basil stir-fried minced pork), Moo Krob (Thai crispy pork belly) and many other pork dishes they really enjoyed during their trips. I’m sure many of them would be happy to see some of their favorite dishes on our menu again.

I’m also very open to ideas from the people around me. For example, we’ll be adding a traditional Thai noodle soup to the menu, known as Guay Tiew Nam in Thailand. The idea came from Paul, one of our team members, who prepared this soup for the staff. Everyone really enjoyed it, which got us thinking about adding it to the menu.

In Thailand, noodle soup is one of the most popular everyday dishes. What makes it special is the broth, which gets its rich aroma and flavor from slowly simmering ingredients such as vegetables, white radish and different cuts of meat and bones. People of all ages enjoy it, and it’s something many Thai people can eat almost every day without getting bored.

For me, being a head chef isn’t just about creating new dishes. It’s also about making sure that every dish that leaves the kitchen meets the same high standards. And it’s not just about the food – the whole team is genuinely welcoming and knowledgeable about the dishes they serve and Thai cuisine in general. I want every guest to leave NOK NOK having had such a warm experience that they can’t wait to come back – and bring their friends along next time.

We wish New all the best in his new role and look forward to seeing you at NOK NOK!