Kris Yenbamroong

I met sweet and funny Kris Yenbamroong a few years ago on a Richard Kern shoot when Kris was his assistant. We both had Richard take portrait photos of ourselves that day and we used them as our myspace photos. We were officially cool at that moment... Then boom! I saw an article on Kris in the LA Times about him and his restaurant. And he bakes himself too...

What do you do for a living?
i run a restaurant called talesai. although i'm the chef, my work invariably encompasses everything from curing bacon to tending bar (cause i make the best drinks) to painting the walls and fixing the tables.

What is your favorite nut? roasted pistachios, which i use to make ice cream. also cashews and walnuts for snacking, or for hikes. people tend to think there are nuts in every thai dish, but nothing could be further from the truth.

What was the most memorable Richard Kern shoot that you assisted on?
ive got a ton of memories from the kern years, but i guess the most notable were early on. when we first met, he didn't trust me enough to let me up to his studio (i guess he's met tons of weirdos over the years) so he'd meet me on street corners and give me a bag of videos to go edit. i was a senior at nyu at the time so i had access to the editing suites. i'd be in there cutting together these little porno clips for his website. when i was done i'd meet him on another corner and exchange the finished batch for a fresh one. using those editing suites was the only time i got my money's worth from nyu (except kern wasn't paying me yet). also when i met lucy mckenzie (whom i had a big crush on) for the first time, i was a bag of nerves and the only thing i could think to say was, "hey, i look at pictures of you ALL DAY"...which was true because i had to retouch/archive them but came out a little creepier than i had anticipated. other than that, all the shoots in the woods upstate with naked girls were pretty okay. but aside from all the [boobs} and fun, i learned a lot about hustling, work ethic and aging gracefully, which is probably what will stay with me the longest and which might be stuff people don't automatically attribute to him.

What is olive bronzing? that's when you douse yourself with olive oil and sit out in the sun and cook like a branzino [fish.] bronzing is a favorite pastime of mine and summer '09 was my first season with the olive oil. i started with coconut oil but switched to olive oil cause it smelled better, was less slimy, and produced a nice glow on my skin. it's officially fall i guess but in la, there's still good sun to be had around midday so i try to soak in as much as my work schedule will allow. at the moment, tan lines in the shape of bikini briefs can be seen under my clothes.

What is your favorite cookbook? 'ma gastronomie' by fernand point, 'the food i love' by neil perry and 'charcuterie' by michael ruhlman. ruhlman also co-wrote the french laundry book, which i love but is so far from what i do. i never went to cooking school but learned to cook from growing up in the kitchen, quite literally, in addition to just eating and drinking everything i could get my hands on and then trying to figure it out.

Will you come out with your own cookbook at some point? yes. hopefully right after i open my next restaurant. there will most likely be tons of photos of girls in it.

What is your favorite color? grey and brown.

Missing In Action or Red Dawn? ive not seen either of those but from my research, i understand that they're both war movies. although i saw the guns of navarone in high school, the only war-related movies i really like at the moment are the rambo movies (including the most recent where he goes to burma). i imdb'd stallone last week and the next rambo is rumored to be starring both stallone and mickey rourke, so that's something i'm looking forward to.

Do you miss living in NYC? all the time. what i miss most is the first day it gets warm after a long and harsh cold, and all the girls are out and about in the wonderful outfits they've been preparing all winter. i know they're very excited to parade around town, and i'm usually equally excited. i also miss the museums and central park, and riding the metro north upstate or into connecticut.

What do you count as the best decision that you have made thus far? so far, moving to nyc.

And the worst? new york university.

What was the most recent concert that you attended? grizzly bear. 2 of those guys did this free jazz thing in a masterpiece of sh*t film i made while in attendance at nyu. i hope to upload it to youtube at some point. yesterday i wanted to see this girl called 'best coast' perform. she writes these sort of california nostalgia pop songs and i could listen to them all day and she's the prettiest girl i've ever seen (on the internet).

Any favorite Inglourious Bastards character? haven't seen that. i don't really like tarantino but i heard him on howard stern a few weeks back and he was the best interview and seemed like the sweetest guy. he said that brad pitt cut off a huge chunk of hash for him as he was leaving the pitt manor. a guy i know came out to la recently and rented a famous mansion to record his next album and the guy from the office tv show that's also in the tarantino movie was there, but his hair was dyed blonde. i was really star struck.

What is your signature dish? i make a really good fried chicken platter in a northern thai style, which is where my mom is from and where i've spent a lot of time. i serve it with this homemade thai salsa/chutney of roasted anaheim chiles and shallots which is made in the traditional method with mortar and pestle. it's my favorite thing. i also make a good roasted sausage (northern style as well).

Ever had surgery? never and never hope to, although i'm currently suffering from tennis elbow so i may have to get cortizone injections. i use a really stiff racket (the pro staff 6.0 original, 95 sq inch head). it's a pleasure to play with but kills your arm after a heavy sesh. i hope to one day be good/consistent enough to play with the 85 sq inch racket head, and although i've never been afraid of injuries, after reading about the grueling rehab that both rafael nadal and tiger woods have had to go through in the past year, it does make me a bit nervous. sampras was lucky enough to have never been seriously injured.

Name your favorite pair of shoes. up until recently, ive been a loafers kind of guy. i have a nice pair of black loafers from zegna, which are among my favorite material possessions. recently i switched to a pair of brown suede common projects which i bought a year or two ago but never really wore. now they are my second favorite pair of shoes.

What do you think of Top chef? Could you see yourself on the show? ive never seen it. the only cooking show i've really seen is iron chef, and ive only seen that once or twice. im not big on cooking shows, although i hope to one day have my own cooking show, which i will never watch. yes, i would go on top chef or any show for the right $$. i am more into the following shows: californication, special victims unit, 24, hung, eastbound and down, and of course sopranos and the wire on dvd.

What do you like least about living in California? that my mother can show up at my house anytime she wants. also i always enjoyed running into people on the street when i lived in ny. that doesn't happen much here.

And what do you like most about living in California? driving, bronzing, tennis and the best sushi and produce in the country.

Do you believe in aliens? there's no doubt in my mind that there's other life forms out there. but i never think about that. aliens have never really moved me (in fact i find the whole subject of space and space travel fairly boring).

What would you cook to woo a female? i'd probably play it safe (salmon or roasted chicken). although if i had prior knowledge of her tastes/preferences, i would cater the menu to that in order to ensure maximum love-making potential.

Name your least favorite cheese. i am not a fan of any of the reduced fat stuff you see in stores. you didn't ask about my favorites, but i'll tell you anyway: burrata, epoise, comte, humboldt fog, anything triple creme, parmegianno regianno.

Who are your favorite directors? todd phillips, werner herzog, richard kern.

What movie scared you when you were younger? IT with john ritter.

Who makes the best cutlery? i wouldn't know. but i like wusthof classic series and the cheapo kiwi knives. i don't really f*ck with any of the high tech japanese knives cause they offend my sensibilities.

Any favorite cause or charity? i recently told a friend that when i'm 35, i'll have 2 cars: a prius (to drive to charity events and fundraisers) and a g-wagon benz (those boxy-looking ones) in silver or matte black, which i will drive the rest of the time. as for which charity events i'll be driving to, probably all of them. i've got a f*cking big heart. i like hanging out at dog adoption events. i also give generously to those closest to me (something my father never really understood...he always gave everything he made to total strangers).

Favorite websites? krisyenbamroong.com (which i hope to post on some day) dlisted.com fessealair.blogspot.com (this is my anonymous friend's new blog about butts) ariannaocchipinti.blogspot.com (this is the website of my favorite female winemaker, a sicilian vixen whom i hope to visit when i'm in sicily next month...it's all in italian)http://blog.kermitlynch.com (this is the blog of kermit lynch, my favorite importer of natural french wines....he brings in some of the best the loire has to offer, including selections from pierre and catherine breton, a renegade couple who make magic with cabernet franc, mostly unsulfured, unfiltered and unfined....) acontinuouslean.com (a man of great taste and style...) kanyeuniversecity.com/blog (although i can't defend his latest outburst, he is still a huge inspiration to me)pamposey.com (she is the best painter i know, and is like a fairy godmother to me) purple-diary.com (i like when this dude posts photos of himself and pretty girls partying on yachts in the mediterranean) rolexforums.com (a messageboard website for rolex enthusiasts to share information) petfinder.com (when i return from sicily, im adopting a dog.)
Kris is also a photographer: