(funky electric guitar music)
We are in the Thai temple in Michigan in Detroit.
It's called Wat Buddha Vihara, Midwest.
This is the first Thai temple in Michigan.
- [Sheldon] During the summer, you guys cook out here.
We do have a lot of Thai people,
or Asian people, to come around.
Laos people come here and cook food, selling food,
like traditional food. It's called Food Fair.
I work at a Thai restaurant,
but I do, like do waitress serving.
But I cook for like, community food fair.
- [Sheldon] Offering Thai flavors
and Asian flavors to the Detroit area.
We're gonna make, it's called
Pad Krapow and stir fried basil.
That much, just gonna put that in there.
(asian music)
Where'd you learn to cook?
I dunno I grew up, my family just like,
they've been cooking.
Like my mom, is good cook, my mom's like the best.
Did you go to school?
Yeah cooking school,
culinary school in Thailand. You did!
- [Pat] I like to cook.
Well I like to eat.
(Pat laughs)
The crushed garlic in.
How spicy, you guy like?
- [Sheldon] I like spicy.
(Sheldon coughs)
(Pat laughs)
Definitely spicy.
It's gonna be delicious!
I'm just gonna add the oyster, and this is soy sauce.
- [Sheldon] This is a mushroom soy sauce,
so it has a lot of depth, a lot of flavor.
- [Pat] And a little bit of sugar,
cause we didn't use MSG for it.
And I add some string beans.
This is the basil.
- [Sheldon] Beautiful!
- [Pat] I like strong flavor.
Is this a dish that you grew up with?
Yeah, in Bangkok. In Bangkok.
(funky jazz music)
Alright that's it for the pork.
I'm gonna make another one with seafood.
(rhythmic jazz music)
- [Sheldon] Salty, sweet, and spicy.
- [Pat] This basil, they only grow out summertime.
- [Sheldon] Well this is perfect for today, you know.
The holy basil here at the Buddhist temple.
How'd you make your journey to Detroit?
I flew to Canada, and I just got married, and I move here.
My husband from Detroit. Oh.
You're a waitress turned chef.
Yeah, I'm a waitress.
That's like Superman, on the weekends
you put on your chef cape.
Yup, I transform.
Lawan you are the person that is responsible
for a lot of this activity that's
going on here at the temple.
Yes.
Where in Thailand did you grow up?
I'm from Bangkok.
At 13 years old into the national team for table tennis.
Yeah, yeah, I was in the World Champion in India
that year and then they invite us to come here.
How was Detroit back then when you
showed up 40 years ago in the city?
You know, they were kinda shocked when they saw me.
(both laugh)
Not many Thai-- Not many Asian.
One Thai restaurant, then.
But its people are very friendly and welcoming.
Asian is getting larger, almost 10 thousand.
Our abbot has named this temple as
the Midwest Buddhist Meditation Center.
This mean for everyone, every Buddhist
and even non-Buddhist.
And how did you become associated with the temple?
The previous abbot which is passed already,
10 years ago kept asking to come and open a temple here
in Detroit before we have the temple.
At the beginning, the temple in an apartment.
Now we have three properties.
- [Sheldon] People come here to meditate,
Meditate, and mostly they come for
the Buddhist religious ceremony,
like today is our Queen's birthday.
So we known her as Mother's Day.
Ah, beautiful.
I love that you guys are keeping
all the dishes very authentic.
People known about Thai food,
and the Sunday market, we have it only in summer.
So people really look forward to it.
- [Lawan] Yes.
(funky guitar music)
Kay I'm gonna go for the pork.
The basil is amazing in it.
Becomes like almost like a vegetable in the dish,
instead of just being an herb because there's so much of it.
I'm gonna dig into--
Squid and a shrimp.
The squid and shrimp.
I dunno how spicy you can take,
- [Sheldon] Okay.
But I like spicy.
(Pat laughs)
I'm burning up right now.
In the 40 years you've seen the city change?
A whole lot.
Go through a lot.
I think it's coming back a little bit,
the last few year we can see the different.
When the economy went down is really bad.
It was the worst time ever since I came here.
So a lot of people move out, a lot.
Why stay in Detroit?
I couldn't leave here. The temple is my home.
(hip hop music)
- [Sheldon] Hugo Ortega began his journey
as a goat herder in Mexico, only to end up
winning a southwest best chef James Beard award.
After he immigrated to the U.S. at the age of 16,
(guitar chord)