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You wouldn’t expect a six-foot-tall native Vermonter to serve as America’s premier Thai food buff. Not until Ricker rolls up his sleeves to get to work, that is: his arms are inked with a traditional clay mortar and wooden pestle, bird’s eye chiles, and stylized Thai herbs. But his dedication to the cuisine is more than just skin-deep.Sugary pad thai and chicken skewers with candy-sweet peanut sauce may have shaped America's understanding of Thai cuisine, but Andy Ricker is setting out to change all that. As the chef-owner of Pok Pok restaurants in New York City and Portland, Oregon (where he's now based), he cooks food that tastes like it's from half a world away—because it is. He's been traveling to Thailand for over twenty years to bring its true flavors Stateside. His phat thai, speckled with salted radish and redolent of sour tamarind water and palm sugar syrup, boasts a precise balance of sweet, tart, and umami-rich flavors. His kai yaang, brined whole and stuffed with aromatics, was inspired by an old friend in Chiang Mai who spent 30 years spit-roasting young chickens alongside a wall of glowing charcoal. His first visit to Thailand was simply one of many stops he made while backpacking around the world, picking up odd jobs from New Zealand to England to support his travels. But his second trip there marked a watershed moment in his culinary career. He still remembers the one dish that blew his mind: a Northern-style mushroom curry. “It was like seeing an entirely new color," he recalls in his best-selling cookbook, Pok Pok. "From then on, my eyes were open.” Ricker dedicated himself to language lessons and befriended home cooks and street vendors, talking his way into their kitchens. His flavor quests became more systematic: he’d taste something outrageous, then try versions of it everywhere he could to understand how to recreate it. At times, his love affair with Thailand made him a hard hire back in the States, because he’d return every year. Eventually, he decided it was time to open his own restaurant.Ricker’s ambassadorship of Thai cuisine has boomed into an empire over the last two decades: in addition to his Pok Pok restaurants, he’s the founder of Pok Pok Som (a drinking vinegar company) and managing partner of Pok Pok Thaan (a charcoal importing enterprise). He’s also a two-time James Beard Award-winner and best-selling cookbook author. Even after decades of traveling to Thailand, Ricker doesn’t consider himself an expert: “I'm a student like everyone else who's interested in Thai cooking," he says. "My experience with Thai cooking is concentrated heavily on northern Thai food. Central Thai is something I'm learning more about. Southern Thai is almost an entire mystery to me.” His approach to Thai flavors is nearly sociological, and his devotion to ingredients keeps his dishes very close to their source. Ricker may not consider himself an expert, but he's undeniably a chef who’s passionate about creating food that tastes like it’s straight from Thailand. In his cooking class, you'll learn not only about the flavors and ingredients that define Thai cuisine, but the techniques, as well—the unique way street vendors shred green papaya for a classic salad, for instance, or how to use a traditional clay mortar. With every palate-piquing bite, you’ll understand anew why this is a cuisine that could spark a lifelong obsession. Andy's Restaurants:Pok Pok (Portland, OR)Pok Pok Ny (Brooklyn, NY)Whiskey Soda Lounge (Portland, OR)Andy's Book:Pok Pok (2013)

Emmy-winning television host Jeff Corwin has worked for the conservation of endangered species, natural resources, and ecosystems around the globe. Through education and awareness, he believes these vital elements of our planet can be conserved for future generations. Jeff also remains a passionate explorer of human culture especially as it relates to regional cuisine; he believes food is often the glue that cements together a community and culture. As the host of Food Network's primetime series Extreme Cuisine with Jeff Corwin, Jeff embarks on exciting and educational culinary adventures through culturally-diverse lands – meeting the natives, sampling the incredible indigenous foods, and enjoying countless surprises every step of the way. In February 2009, Extreme Cuisine premiered as a one-hour primetime special on Food Network, and it was then picked up for a full series premiering September 17th, 2009. Jeff has a long history in the food industry, working in restaurants since he was 12 years old. From dishwasher to busboy, to prep and line cook, to waiter and bartender, he has worked everywhere from greasy spoons to high-end locales. His family played a major role in sparking Jeff's culinary interests; in fact, his great grandfather owned Maccarelli's – one of the first pizza parlors in the United States. His food passions now focus on sustainable cooking, mushroom foraging, fishing, and oneology. Jeff also hosts of a variety of popular television series seen in 120 countries worldwide including Animal Planet's Jeff Corwin Experience, Corwin's Quest, Spring Watch, Giant Monsters, Realm of the Yeti, Spring Watch USA, and King of the Jungle; Disney's Going Wild with Jeff Corwin; Discovery Networks' Investigation Earth; NBC's Emmy-nominated Jeff Corwin Unleashed; Travel Channel's Into Alaska and Into the American West; and Discovery Health's Pets and People. In 2007, Jeff also co-created and co-hosted CNN's Planet in Peril with Anderson Cooper. In November 2008, Animal Planet premiered The Vanishing Frog, a powerful documentary highlighting Jeff's year-long, global odyssey exploring the mass extinction of the planet's amphibian species. Now in its fifth edition, Jeff's first book, Living on the Edge: Amazing Relationships in the Natural World (Rodale, 2003), focuses on diverse ecosystems and their inhabitants. Through Puffin Books, Jeff is publishing a book series for young readers focusing on wildlife, ecology and conservation under The Jeff Corwin Jr. Explorer Series brand. His new book, 100 Heartbeats: A Journey to Meet Our Planet's Endangered Animals and the Heroes Working to Save Them (Rodale), due out in November 2009, explores the plight of the planet’s most endangered wildlife species. The title of the book refers to the species with 100 or fewer individuals alive in the wild today. Jeff will also host an accompanying two-hour MSNBC documentary entitled Future Earth: 100 Heartbeats, due out November 22, 2009. Jeff established EcoZone in 2002, an interactive museum and environmental education center in Norwell, Mass. (his hometown) to build awareness for the wildlife and ecology unique to the wetlands of southeastern Massachusetts. In 2008, Jeff was named Embassodor of Climate Change and Endangered Species on behalf of the Defenders of Wildlife, one of the United States‘ most prominent conservation organizations. Jeff has B.S. degrees in Biology and Anthropology from Bridgewater State College, a M.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, and an honorary doctorate in Public Education from Bridgewater State College. When not traveling the world, Jeff enjoys life at home off the coast of Massachusetts with his wife, Natasha, and two daughters, Maya Rose and Marina Faye. He and his wife believe it's important to show their daughters where food comes from and to connect them with the resources. At home, they grow about 20% of their food including many fruits, vegetables and herbs. They eat fish that they catch themselves and also have clam beds, mussel beds, and lobster traps. This lifestyle contributes to Jeff's belief in sustainable, locally-grown fare and renewable resources.