Page 39 - ELITE PLUS MAGAZINE VOL6

Cooking requires your undivided attention. Ingredients must be prepared in the right portions, time and temperature. So you forget other things and focus on the task in front of you, and that helps me relax and forgetall stressget involved in conflicts. “My father [Kanchai Boonparn] always said that Matichon is polite, gentle and intellectual. We will not be seen fighting or behaving impolitely. We will not respond to any attacks.”Her allusion is to criticism and attacks from certain political groups on the Matichon group.The 42-year-old executive’s task at one of the country’s most respected media companies does have consider- able stress. Nicknamed “Wan Yen” after the old-fashioned dessert made of ice and syrup, Ms Parnbua has to attend board meetings, decide on policy, delegate tasks and meet poten- tial clients. She manages to maintain a casual and relaxed appearance, however.One of her leisure activities is cooking. Needless to say, she learns and tests some of the recipes taught at the academy’s cooking classes.“Cooking requires your undivided attention,” she said. “Ingredients must be prepared in the right portions, time and temperature. So you forget other things and focus on the task in front of you, and that helps me relax and forget all stress.”Ms Parnbua also goes out to sample food at respected shops and restaurants to keep abreast of the food industry. She also uses her excursions as a chance to woo chefs to the Matichon Academy.Inviting chefs to teach is not an easy task. After all, chefs are artists who need to be handled artfully. Like in any business deal, Ms Parnbua is never too blunt.“I always go to eat at the place first and then send a friend or someone I trust to have a casual talk with the chef. We need to establish a good relationship first and foremost.”After casually talking about thefood, the chefs are asked to talk again about their food preparation for a day or two at the academy. The hardest part is convincing chefs to reveal their cooking tips, which are tantamount to trade secrets. Their skills are intellec- tual property, an asset that sets their dishes apart from competitors. The best tactic is to make the chefs see the value in sharing.“Teaching people to cook adds value to the instructor,” she tells them. “If students can cook better, the repu- tation and recognition will fall back on the instructors. What is the use of knowledge if it is not to be shared?”Elite+ 37