BOONE — When Sherri Pengjad graduated from the University of North Carolina’s Hussman School of Journalism, she couldn’t have anticipated how befriending a Thai student studying abroad would change the trajectory of her life. When her Thai friend encouraged her to try Thai food — she was skeptical, having had only bad Chinese food experiences — she obliged.
Now known as the “Thai-Foodie,” Pengjad has merged her passions for Thai cooking and culture with her love of writing.
She ordered Thai pineapple fried rice her first time trying Thai food.
“After my first bite — my life was changed,” Pengjad said. “I was like, ‘this is the best food I have ever eaten.’ I loved all the flavors: the spicy Thai chili and the sour from the lime, the sweet from the pineapple, the umami from the fish sauce.”
She decided she wanted to eat Thai food for the rest of her life and became a regular at that Thai restaurant.
After graduating, Pengjad planned to move abroad. She loved world travel and adventure. She initially considered Europe, thinking she’d fall in love there. “I wanted to focus on me, my relationship with God, and be single,” Pengjad said.
Instead, she landed in Thailand — thinking she wouldn’t meet anyone there. While teaching English classes, she planned to do two things: travel around Asia and eat Thai food.
Until her friend offered to introduce her to another friend. Initially reluctant, Pengjad eventually agreed after spotting him in church. “We just started to talk, and then over the next few months, we started to fall in love,” she said.
A year and a half after meeting, they married across the river from the Grand Palace in Bangkok.
Eventually, her husband, Dominic, wanted to experience life in America. Since her work contract in Thailand had ended, the couple moved to Pengjad’s hometown of Waxhaw, North Carolina.
Pengjad quickly discovered that American Thai food differed significantly from authentic Thai cuisine. She had to drive 45 minutes from Waxhaw to Charlotte to find authentic Thai food, and it cost considerably more. “Seventeen dollars for Pad Thai, not $2,” Pengjad said. “I wondered, what am I going to do? I still have to eat it every day. I love it so much.”
Dominic’s grandmother, who cooked for the couple when they visited, taught Pengjad how to prepare Thai food.
“Those are my favorite memories to this day of cooking Thai food,” Pengjad said.
“I fell in love with cooking with her. I thought it was so much fun,” she added. “My husband was her sous chef growing up — he’d cook whatever she’d say, and then he’d go play with his friends.”
Dominic’s grandmother cooked in an outdoor kitchen setup with a concrete slab, wooden beams and a plastic tarp. She would squat, using her mortar and pestle to make curry and chili paste, lining her soy and fish sauce on the ground.
In Waxhaw, Dominic taught Pengjad everything his grandmother had taught him. She also learned from Thai chefs online, which he verified as “legit.”
Sherri later moved from Waxhaw to Austin, Texas, where she started her Thai cooking website, Thai-Foodie. “Eventually, people were like, ‘Hey, can you teach me how to cook this?’” Pengjad said.
She began teaching Thai cooking classes in people’s homes, eventually moving to a cooking school.
The Pengjad’s have called the Boone area home for the past eight years. They chose Boone because Appalachian State University brings a more diverse population, and they had heard positive reviews of the local school system, Pengjad said. They have four children.
Pengjad and her children bring Thai culture into their school. She has taught different grades how to make fresh Thai spring rolls and Thai peanut sauce while educating students about Thai culture and how Christmas is celebrated in Thailand. When the family visited Thailand for six weeks, her children held Zoom calls with local students to share details about their travels.
“I was like, let’s bring diversity. If we can’t get many people there, let’s be it,” Pengjad said. “People are so open to learning about Thailand and trying the food. Even the kids who have never had any food other than typical Southern cooking.”
Pengjad started teaching Thai cooking classes in Boone through Airbnb Experiences before transitioning to private classes. Her goal is one class per week, though scheduling sometimes fluctuates. Her two oldest children now assist with her classes.
“Usually they help clean up,” Pengjad said. “Sometimes they help cook. It’s been super fun to see it become a family business.”
Pengjad sends a sample menu to students ahead of time so they can choose which dishes she will teach. Favorites include Pad Thai, Mango Sticky Rice and Tom Kha, a comforting Thai coconut soup. She’s happy to teach any beloved Thai dish.
Recently, Pengjad taught a mother how to make Thai Red Curry Steamed Fish Cups.
“Which sounds weird, but they are really good,” Pengjad said. “I had never taught them, but she had it in Thailand and missed it.”
Her two young children loved it, she added.
Pengjad often teaches tourists. “On Google, I am the top option for a cooking class in Boone,” she said. “So a lot of tourists type in ‘cooking class’ and boom, they see me.”
She also teaches locals — word of mouth spreads to local foodies who love cooking, Pengjad said. She teaches at bridal showers, ladies’ nights, baby showers, date nights and anniversaries, as well as families and other groups.
“I’ve had kids as young as 5. I love teaching teens and college kids — they ask so many good questions and are so interested,” Pengjad said.
She said her website traffic slows during summer months and picks up when fall leaves arrive. “Most people are cooking more in the fall and winter because they are inside,” Pengjad said.
Learn more about Thai recipes and Thai cooking classes at https://thai-foodie.com/
Dining and Cooking