Flavors Unknown

Talat Market: Thai Roots Meet Southern Flair

Chef Parnass Savang from Talat Market

Today, I'm featuring Talat Market and chef Parnass Savang. He’s the co-founder of Talat Market in Atlanta. As a first-generation Thai-American, he’s learned to blend his cultural background in the form of unique and flavorful dishes that he describes as Georgian Thai.
You’ll hear about when he first fell in love with Thai food and how he began to find connections between his cultural roots and his southern upbringing. He talks about the balance between authenticity and creativity when it comes to representing a culture through its cuisine. He also shares some of his creative inspiration and a few of the dishes that represent his creative process.

What you'll learn from Chef Parnass Savang at Talat Market

The afterhours dishes his parents made in their restaurant 3:22
His grandmother’s signature Thai dish 4:13
Developing his Georgian Thai style 6:17
A unique Thai dish with Southern influence 9:39
Chef Parnass Savang's sources of inspiration 11:47
Looking to other cultures for menu ideas at Talat Market 13:13
One of the most fascinating techniques in Thai cuisine 15:25
Why you have to be careful fermenting meat 16:09
The fun of doing collaborations in Talat Market 17:17
One memorable collaboration with a BBQ pop-up 18:10
The challenges of frequent menu changes 20:05
Why he values his business partnership 21:16
His thoughts on his first Talat Market pop-up experience 22:13
How he knew he was at the end of what was possible 23:06
Crowdfunding a restaurant 23:58
His experience at culinary school 25:41
Eating Thai food in New York 27:05
Why he fell in love with Thai Food 27:48
His dream come true stage experiences 28:18
What he learned in Thai Kitchens 48:46
His best flavor memory in Thailand 29:38
Advice for aspiring chefs 31:43
Remembering that this is a people business 32:29
His most rewarding experience so far 33:13
An exciting project in the works 34:44
How his respect for the Thai culture shows up in his work 35:52
Spots to eat in Atlanta 37:18
His Guilty Pleasure Food 37:41
Cookbooks that inspire him 38:08
Pet peeves in the kitchen 38:29
His favorite kitchen utensil 38:42
Gadgets he can’t live without 39:17
Condiments he uses the most 39:49
The chef he’d like to collaborate with the most 40:09
His most challenging dish that was on the menu 40:32

I'd like to share a potential educational resource, “Conversations Behind the Kitchen Door”, my new book that features dialogues with accomplished culinary leaders from various backgrounds and cultures. It delves into the future of culinary creativity and the hospitality industry, drawing from insights of a restaurant-industry-focused podcast, ‘flavors unknown”. It includes perspectives from renowned chefs and local professionals, making it a valuable resource for those interested in building a career in the culinary industry.

Get the book here!

Links to most downloaded episodes (click on any picture to listen to the episode)

Click to tweet

It felt like a band pouring years of music into their debut album—that was my first food pop-up. But then, I hit a creative wall; I'd given it my all.

Click To Tweet

Every collaboration adds a new skill to my repertoire, spurring me to craft a unique dish under pressure—I can't let my collaborator or patrons down.

Click To Tweet

You're going to fail a lot. That's just the nature of cooking. You fail until you understand the technique or your station. Follow the chef's recipes, ask him questions, be clean, and organized. All that stuff is important.

Click To Tweet