From McDonald's to national TV: Yellowknife chef prepares for Chopped debut
Sousanh Chanthalangsy runs popular One of a Thai food truck in Yellowknife, will appear on Oct. 15 episode
Food truck season may be nearly over in Yellowknife, but One of a Thai's Sousanh Chanthalangsy has something big to look forward to this fall — an appearance on the hit television series Chopped Canada.
Chanthalangsy will appear on the popular Food Network series, which pits four chefs against each other using a surprise selection of ingredients, in an episode airing on Oct. 15. Though she can't disclose the results of the competition, she said the experience was "amazing."
"I don't know how I can describe it," she said.
"Meeting the people, meeting the judges, and the people you see on TV, and you're like: 'Oh my God, I'm here!' Cooking for these celebrities, that was the best thing for me."
Chanthalangsy revealed that her episode of the series pits her against fellow food truck owners — something that she said came as a surprise to all of the contestants.
"We didn't know until we were about to do the competition," she said. "One of the contestants was like: 'do you own a food truck?' And I was like: 'yeah.'
"And then he asked [the other contestant]: 'do you own a food truck?' And she was like: 'yeah.' We all own food trucks!"
Chanthalangsy is the second Yellowknife chef — and second Yellowknife food truck owner — to appear on the series, after Wiseguy Foods' Robin Wasicuna, who reached the final round before being "chopped" in 2014.
From McDonald's to the Food Network
Chanthalangsy's food journey in Yellowknife had humble beginnings, working at McDonald's before deciding to start her own business five years ago.
"It was a great opportunity, because they taught us everything," she said of her time at the burger franchise.
"But I thought, you know what? Why don't I put my own passion into something I really love?"
Working with her mother, Chanthalangsy decided to sell Thai food at the Folk on the Rocks music festival. That turned into a catering gig, and before long, One of a Thai was born.
Though she has experimented with a physical restaurant space in the past, Chanthalangsy says she prefers her food truck, where she works in close proximity with her mother and cousin, a situation she calls "pretty much the best thing ever.
"You have your own hours, you can move wherever the people are. There's a lot of things that are way better than just being in a restaurant.
"Honestly, what I love about what we do is seeing the customers, and loving that they come back for their favourite dishes," she said.
"The things that we make, and the things that come out of this mobile kitchen is what keeps me going. We couldn't see ourselves doing anything else."
Chanthalangsy says that she'll mark her television debut with a "big viewing party" in Yellowknife, and that she's been overwhelmed by the positive support since she announced her appearance.
"My phone was just going off like crazy," she said. "The amount of support and love from other people... I was like: 'Oh, wow. This is so amazing.'"
With files from Joslyn Oosenbrug