Meet the Owners :
 |
TINO – General Manager / Co Founder : Was born in a small village named Taitoong, near
the famous Chatree Gold Mine, half way between Bangkok and Chiang Mai, in the Pichit Province.
He entered the restaurant business back in Bangkok, quickly rising to the position of Manager at the Thai-Chin Restaurant, a beautiful Colonial building off Sathorn Road,
now owned by the Blue Elephant Restaurant chain and well worth a visit should you find yourself in Bangkok. He then moved to the equally beautiful Supattra River House Restaurant, built around the owner’s old family home and sharing space with their family museum and classical Thai Arts Centre. Resting on the bank of Bangkok’s Chao Phraya River, it overlooks the spectacular Royal Grand Palace.
Tino was headhunted by a Bangkok based restaurant chain that had purchased a restaurant opposite London’s Harrods Department Store in Knightsbridge.
This gave him the opportunity he had been looking for and he packed his bags and headed for our famous British climate ! This move was short lived, but with his Thai contacts, joined the Management Team of the, now sadly closed, Sugar Hut Restaurant in Fulham, where he built a solid reputation. This stylish restaurant, which is the dining room pictured with Tino and friend at the bottom of our stairs, had a superb ambience.
|
| |
|
 |
ROBERT – Co Founder : Born in Guildford, Surrey, but spent the last six years of childhood in Cornwall, schooling in Launceston and living in a small hamlet between Callington and Launceston, with the producer of Rick Stein’s favourite Cornish Clotted Cream, Barbara Lake as a neighbour, and when passing, still drops in to buy that irresistible product and which sometimes is available in the Dessert Menu !
His work history was not within the catering industry but it had been his passion to open a restaurant for over 20 years. He has lived and travelled within the Far East, living in both Singapore and Hong Kong. He has toured Malaysia, China, Philippines, Japan, Macau and of course Thailand. Whilst living in Hong Kong during the mid 80’s, he flew to Singapore and met with Bruno Vallette a good friend and superb French Chef and mused over the idea of opening an East-meets-West style of restaurant. The seed of an idea grew from that moment and 20 years on, became the seeds that have since flowered into the form of Tongdam Thai Restaurant, Dulverton. Incidentally, for many years, Bruno has worked closely with Master Chef Albert Roux, founder of the famous Le Gavroche in London, travelling the world and occasionally drops in at Tongdam to see how the Restaurant is progressing !
|
| |
|
We have a great supporting team who live within our community in the Dulverton area and whose faces are, I am sure, well known to many of you. |
