PROFILE

The lady’s done it all

Once famed for her beautiful silk clothing, Khun Khanitha Akaranitikul is today an acclaimed restaurateur. Agneta Bekassy De Bekas talks to her former business colleague and friend to find out how she’s achieved so much

n a trip to Bangkok in 1989, my husband and I were strolling around in the Oriental Hotel and stopped in front of a boutique with the most colorful, feminine Thai silk dresses on display. My husband said I must go in and try on a dress, but I hesitated as I felt that, unlike a typical Thai woman, I didn’t have the requisite slim waist that suited such an outfit. He still convinced me it was worth taking a look inside the shop, and so we did.

There were so many beautiful dresses and in a rainbow of colours. Nevertheless, I decided to try on a few and, to my delight, they actually fitted me. It turned out that Khanitha, the name of the designer and shop owner, had European sizes. It was hard to choose between all these beautiful outfits, but I selected a few dresses.

As I was trying on the clothes, my husband asked the sales woman for the owner, and a few minutes later he was on the phone with Khun Khanitha herself. This resulted in a meeting the next day at her office on Suriwongse Road. I recall walking into this combined office and shop on thick elegant wall-to- wall carpeting. Like everything else, it was luxurious. Khanitha appeared, a friendly woman with a soft voice and sharp brain. And before I knew it, I had become her wholesaler/agent for Khanitha Design in Switzerland. My husband was happy, and I was overwhelmed and wondering how it would work out.

I had experience with importing garments from Sweden to Switzerland and this was potentially similar, including the fact that deliveries would never arrive on time. Khanitha gave me a specific date when my first collection should arrive at Zurich Airport. I couldn’t help smiling to myself, and thinking Sure - we’ll see….”

Never in my life did I believe the collection would arrive on that day, but it did. During the next 10 years I successfully imported her garments, and not one delivery O

came too late or was wrong in any detail. This shows that this lady knows what she is doing. We enjoyed great cooperation over that period, we got to know each other well and became good friends. To this day, we stay in contact and I continue to follow her incredible life, through its ups and downs, though mostly ups.

Khanitha is best known in Bangkok as the owner of several restaurants, though she also has two river cruisers. So, how did she go from being a successful fashion designer and owner of seven boutiques, a sewing factory with more than 400 employers, to become a restaurant owner?

Once Khanitha’s ex-husband announced he was giving up his jewelry business to become active partner in the company, Khanitha decided to step away. Not long after the brand Khanitha Thai Silk disappeared from the market and unfortunately I lost my business in Switzerland.

For those who know Khanitha, it was clear that she would not just sit back and feel sorry for herself. As expected, she soon launched a restaurant, even though she had no previous F&B experience. But using her mother’s recipes, she believed the venture couldn’t go wrong. And she was right.

An old house on Sukhumvit Soi 23 was for lease and Khanitha decided to rent it. Then she went to northern Thailand to search for interior design ideas to create a cozy, welcoming atmosphere in her first restaurant, Baan Khanitha.

It didn’t take long for her to receive her first award for genuine, well-cooked Thai food. This restaurant was soon followed by more. On busy Sathorn Road, she took over a huge restaurant that had never really attracted enough customers, redecorated it, employed new staff, added a collection of paintings from a monk and opened for business. Of course, it became a great success. Nowadays this 250-seat restaurant is almost always fully booked, especially at festive celebrations like Christmas or New Year’s Eve.

More restaurants followed, all successful and busy from the first day.

How does she do it? Khanitha is a born business woman and is dedicated to everything she does. Taking big loans from the banks is not her way; she prefers to pay cash up front. She is smart, she thinks before she goes ahead and she has a great reputation, is honest, and is living testimony to the path to wealth and success.

A while back, she decided to build a river cruiser capable of preparing all the dishes on board. Today she owns two such boats. Based outside her restaurant at Asiatique, they take guests on a two-hour ride up and down the Cha Phraya River.

One menu is offered and includes many delicious dishes, all served in a beautiful way. The impressive wine list on board is the same as in the restaurants, with bottles from France and the New World.

Her latest project is a restaurant at Iconsiam. Here she negotiated long and hard before getting the right spot on

the 4th floor. Elegantly decorated, it has a terrace with magnificent views over the river.

All the vegetables, fruits and spices (fresh herbs) served in her restaurants are grown in her estate in Khao Yai, and delivered to her outlets weekly.

When not working, which is seldom, Khanitha is a dedicated grandmother, a warm hearted mother, a sister and sometimes a golfer. Occasionally you get lucky and see her in one of the restaurants, and she’s always ready for a chat.

One thing is for sure, whatever this lady does, it turns out well. That the name Khanitha features prominently on the Bangkok map is no real surprise. She’s a force to be reckoned with.

Profile

Popular local musician on hecklers, the Hobbit song by Leonard Nimoy, and the romantic moments when he gets to play Unchained Melody

Lee Shamrock

Name: Lee Shamrock. Age: 39. Been the same age for the last 22 years. Born and brought up: In my parent's house. Family: I was raised an only child, which really annoyed my sister. Education: Yup. Where do you live? Bangkok. Profession: Troubadour. First job: MacDonalds. What instruments can you play? Kazoo, Comb with paper, Hornucopian dronepipe (among others - ed). When did you first become interested in music? I was about five years old and there was this cute girl next door who I wanted to impress. I think she was 16 or so. Do you write music? Yes, I write the best music in the world but no one wants to hear it. Who are your all-time favorite musicians? Justin Bieber, Yoko Ono, Leonard Nimoy (ever hear his Hobbit song? Awesome! The video is great too!). How long in Thailand? 22 years, 3 months, 17 days. What brought you to Thailand? A big jet airplane. What’s keeping you here? Gravity.

Your first gig in Thailand? Delaney's, Soi Convent. Where can we see you play? Nowhere due to the Chinese Plague. Favorite music venues to visit and enjoy the show? Father Ted's Irish Pub, Hua Hin. What kind of music do you normally play? Polka, Klezmer!! Do you ever play traditional Irish ballads? Lots of 'em, often. Any difficult audience requests? The most difficult song I play is ‘You'll Never Walk Alone’. Lots of chords! My favorite song is American Pie. Fortunately, just about everyone in the world can sing along to the chorus. Any music you’d like to play but doesn’t work with local audiences? Just about anything I play will work at one time or another. The song ‘Taxi’ by Harry Chapin is one of my favorites but it's long and not a lot of people here know it. An expat from the US who I knew for a couple of years, but had never seen me play, came into the pub and requested Taxi. I played it. He said, "That's impressive". He left and never came to see me play again, even though he lived in the neighborhood. Ever faced hecklers? Love 'em! Best compliment you’ve ever received as a musician? Someone once gave me a hundred dollar bill. Another time a group of people were sitting at the back of the pub all evening. When I finished one of guys came to the stage and said, "That was really good. Where's your iPad or your tablet?". I said I don't have one. He said, "You can't just KNOW ALL those songs." When not performing, how do you relax? This is a family magazine. Strangest or funniest moment in Thailand? A ladyboy joined me on stage playing tambourine. I played ‘Stand By Your man,’ The first line of the song is "Sometimes it's hard to be a woman". S/he turned to me and said, "No it isn't." Anything else? A young couple from Finland were in the pub and when I took a break the guy came up and asked me if he could propose marriage to his partner on the microphone. I introduced him to the audience saying he had something very important to say. With his bottle of beer in one hand he took the microphone in the other, looked over at his girl sitting at the table, and yelled, as if angry, "ANNA! WILL YOU MARRY ME?" She stood up, picked up her bottle of beer, guzzled it, slammed the empty bottle on the table and yelled back, "YES!" I asked her to come up and kiss him and slow dance.

As I played Unchained Melody they held each other close, swaying back and forth and I realized she needed another beer. While playing I asked the staff to bring her a beer so they both had one as they danced romantically. I had another marriage proposal by a young guy who said, "Jennifer, We've known each other a long time, and we've been boyfriend and girlfriend for two years now, and you've been bugging me for the last few months

ever since you got pregnant so I guess it's about time we got married. So, will you marry me?" She was laughing so hard and finally said yes. I played Unchained Melody as they danced.

Yet another proposal was made at a pub where I was playing. The guy wanted to propose at the romantic restaurant at State Tower but they wouldn't let him in because he was wearing shorts. He asked me to make the proposal for him while he sat at the bar with his girl and presented her the ring. She said yes, and I played Unchained Melody as they danced.

I was quiz master at a pub and a friend asked me to make his proposal a quiz question. It was the final question of the round and I walked over to where they were sitting, looked at her and said, "Question number 10. Will you marry that guy?" as he presented her the ring. It took a moment for her to figure out what was happening and then she said, "Of course!" Your favorite getaway destination in Thailand? My room. Most interesting person you’ve met in Thailand? Paul Watson of Tropical Murphy's on Koh Samui. Great guy! Great publican. And the most boring / irritating? Paul Watson of Tropical Murphy's on Koh Samui.

Beer or wine? Or Guinness? My drink is a Dirty Ho. If you don't know what it is you need to come and see me play. Any recommendations for improving the local music scene? Yes, but I can't play that often, I'll lose my voice. What’s next for you? If I survive the plague... during normal times I'm at The Australian Pub on Sukhumvit, Soi 11 every Tuesday, 9 to midnight. The Clubhouse, Sukhumvit Soi 23 the 1st and 3rd Fridays of the month from 8 to 11 pm. Weekends at Father Ted's Irish Pub in Hua Hin.