Kwan was born in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand. (They still rice farm to this day with water buffalo) KWAN is the oldest sibling of 4 in her family, 2 sisters and 1 brother.

Kwan left home at 12 years old to make money for her family as a nanny in Bangkok. She worked as a nanny for 5 years as the kids grew older, her job came to an end. She then worked at 5 star hotels as a hostess, waitress, bartender, dining room manager all while teaching herself English word by word. She worked 2 shifts a day to practice her English with guests at the hotel. She wanted to make more money for her family and heard about working on cruise ships if your English was good enough. She practiced and conversed with guests and passed the test for the cruise agency.

KWAN worked on a ship for 2 years in Tahiti were she met her husband a passenger on the cruise. They hit it off and later married under crazy circumstances. Both had a dream of one day opening their own restaurant. KWAN worked all positions in the front of the house but was never allowed to cook. With frustration she talked to her husband and was ready to take the leap to restaurant ownership. In 2005 with every dollar they had saved her dream became a reality and Kwan Thai was opened in Pearl River.

Kwan has worked as head chef and owner at Kwan Thai for 13 years. I think she is one of only a few women chefs in Rockland County. Kwan has 2 boys ages 6 and 9 and still works 6 days a week making beautiful Thai dishes to fans all around the tri state area. Her commitment to community and giving back is part of her nature.

She is a self-taught chef. She believes hard work and a friendly demeanor are the key to success. Kwan is a big believer that people should be empowered to do better and help others as they would like to be treated. She is always willing to say hi and feed a hungry belly.