Meet Chef & Cookbook Author Arnold Myint!

ABOUT ARNOLD MYINT

Arnold Myint is a James Beard Award-nominated chef, restaurateur and drag queen who won the prestigious LGBTQ+ drag circuit title of Miss Gay America in 2017 under the alter ego of Suzy Wong. Born, raised and based in Nashville, Tennessee, Myint grew up in a close-knit family that spent a significant amount of time in the kitchen, as his parents Win and Patti Myint owned and operated the city’s beloved International Market & Restaurant, first opening the space in 1975. After spending his young adulthood as a nationally-ranked, competitive figure skater, Myint returned to his roots and attended the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City, receiving classic training focused on French cooking techniques. Upon graduating, he leaned into the Asian flavors he grew up loving, operating multiple Nashville concepts, and later appeared as a memorable contestant on season seven of Bravo’s Top Chef.

Upon his parents' passing in 2019, Myint and his sister Anna took over the family business and continue to carry on their parents’ Nashville legacy with . The acclaimed restaurant is now located across the street from where the original location once stood, within the city’s Belmont-Hillsboro neighborhood. International Market serves cafeteria-style options at lunch – just as Myint’s mother once did – as well as an elevated, regionally-focused menu for a full-service experience at dinner, honoring her recipes while infusing them with Myint's own culinary flair. Myint’s work at the restaurant led to his James Beard nomination as a 2024 semifinalist in the Best Chef: Southeast category. Throughout Nashville and beyond, Myint has become known for showcasing the vibrant flavors of Thai cuisine served through his own unique, Southern perspective.

ABOUT FAMILY THAI: BRINGING THE FLAVORS OF THAILAND HOME

In Family Thai, Arnold Myint provides readers with over 90 recipes that feature bold, dynamic and colorful Thai flavors influenced by his own heritage, upbringing as the son of beloved Nashville restaurant owners, and identity as a Southern chef and member of the LGBTQ+ community.

Family Thai is divided into eleven chapters, beginning with a guide to Thai Pantry staples and followed by Thai 101, an approachable instruction manual that guides readers through Thai cooking rites of passage such as making sticky rice, fresh rice noodles and dumpling skins. Subsequent chapters and recipes highlights include:

• Sidekicks & Sauces – Mom’s Hot Sauce; International Market OG Sweet and Sour Sauce; Tamarind Sauce; and Pickled Garlic and Vinegar.
• Dips & Such – Peanut Sauce Fondue; Nam Prik Klang Dong (caramelized dried shrimp and anchovy crumble); and Jaeow Makuah (roasted eggplant dip, a dish that Myint likes to think of as Thailand’s answer to baba ghanoush).
• Snacks and Smalls – Mom’s Egg Rolls; Kanom Jeeb (also known as Yai’s Pork Shumai Dumplings, a signature dish of Myint’s grandmother’s); Thai Street Corn; Watermelon Chili Crumble; and Gai Yang (or Bangkok BBQ Chicken).
• Wok This Way – Khao Pad or Mom’s Classic Thai Fried Rice; Bacon Pad Krapao (a spicy bacon and basil stir-fry); Koong Pad Prik Pao (roasted chile jam stir-fry with shrimp); and Pad Kee Mao or Drunken Spaghetti (a standout Thai-Talian fusion recipe, a genre of cooking that Myint loves to experiment with).
• Khao Gaeng: The Thai Meat & Three – Mom’s Broccoli Noodle; Kai Jeaow or Thai Omelet; Mom’s Tofu Cabbage (one of International Market & Restaurant’s signature dishes, speaking to both Myint’s Thai heritage and his Southern roots); and Phet Palloh (or Duck Soy and Five-Spice Stew).
• Soups – Nam Sai (clear bone broth); Daikon Broth (Myint’s favorite vegan soup base); Mushroom Poh Thaak (also known as Shipwreck Spicy Herbaceous Citrus Soup, with mixed mushrooms and firm tofu in Daikon Broth); Simple Jhok (or rice porridge, also known as congee, which Myint affectionately thinks of as Thailand’s version of grits); and Mom’s Curry Noodle Soup (also called Coconut Curry “Indian Noodle Soup”).
• Salads – Cucumber Achaar; Koong Chae Nam Pla (Thailand’s version of shrimp ceviche); Yum Mama (a late-night Thai street vendor staple with Mama-brand instant ramen noodles, ground pork, shrimp, calamari, Roma tomato, celery and scallions, served within large romaine or green oak lettuce leaves); and Yum Hot Dog (green leaf lettuce with hot dog slices, onion, celery, grape tomatoes and cilantro, tossed in a tangy fish sauce-based dressing).
• Family Meal Platters – Patti’s House Salad (also known as Mom’s Interactive Lettuce Wraps, International Market & Restaurant’s marquee salad platter); Khao Kluk Grapi (shrimp paste rice with caramelized pork); and Hat Yai Fried Chicken (Southern Thai fried chicken served with dipping sauces such as Myint’s homemade Sriracha or Nam Jim Jaeow, a dried chile sauce, alongside sticky rice and Cucumber Achaar).
• Sweet Treats – Fancy Fruit Sticky Rice (Myint’s hybrid of a fruit tart and mango sticky rice); Sangkaya Fak Tong (also known as Mom’s Steamed Egg Custard in Pumpkins); Khanom Pang Ai Thiim (a Thai ice cream sandwich on a sweet Hawaiian roll or hot dog bun, stacked on top of pandan sticky rice and topped with roasted peanuts and caramel corn); and Boozy Thai Coffee Affogato (another of Myint’s Thai-Talian creations).

Host or Publisher Virginia Highland Books