The three of them lie side by side, beneath the dim light of a flickering bulb, somewhere in Bangkok. Each has journeyed hundreds of miles to be here, from distant…
Kitchen Backstories
Rosalind Yunibandhu is Founder & Managing Director of Arcadia Fine Foods. She believes that food offers much more than just means of sustenance, it’s also a vehicle through which we can tell unique stories of the land, people and traditions from which it is bourne.
Coming into bloom: Coffee blossom ‘tea’
posted by Rosalind Yunibandhu February 21, 2020A cool breeze rustles through the bamboo slats of the quaint coffee-house, as the mid-afternoon sun begins its slow descent into dusk. Sitting quietly in the corner of the hut…
The Humble Banana
posted by Rosalind Yunibandhu November 25, 2019Sometimes the answers to difficult challenges can lie in our own backyards—and, for some, quite literally. This thought crossed my mind as I concurrently pondered the sorry state of the…
Khao Pook Nga: Mochi of the Highlands
posted by Rosalind Yunibandhu September 24, 2019We’re standing in a semi-circle in a red-dirt yard, sipping hot coffee blossom tea, and before us is a towering Akha tribal version of Thor, wielding a gigantic 4-foot wooden pestle.…
Kitchen Backstories: From bean to bar–to the world
posted by Rosalind Yunibandhu July 18, 2019From bean to bar–to the world The thin, brown paper sachet feels delicate in my hands—its refined, matte texture interrupted only by a smooth, salmon-pink pentagonal label. The artwork features…
Kitchen Backstories: Exploring new latitudes
posted by Rosalind Yunibandhu May 24, 2019It’s 37 degrees, and the summer sun is beating down fiercely from a near cloudless sky. As my ride drives away, I shade my eyes and take in the scenery…
Kitchen Backstories: Why this should be your Gotu herb
posted by Rosalind Yunibandhu March 6, 2019This aquatic plant found in marshy wetlands across Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent is used as both a culinary vegetable and medicinal herb.
Kitchen Backstories: Bergamot
posted by Rosalind Yunibandhu January 14, 2019You got me at Bergamot. Depending on who you are, the word ‘bergamot’ is likely to elicit different associations. If you’re a tea-lover, maybe it’s the delicate aroma of Earl…
Kitchen Backstories: The ‘Jack’-Fruit of all Trades
posted by Rosalind Yunibandhu December 3, 2018From Dessert to Dye: The ‘Jack’-fruit of all Trades. As a child growing up in New Zealand, I would always look forward to the days when we would host dinners…
Kitchen Backstories: Foy Tong
posted by Rosalind Yunibandhu November 1, 2018Unravelling the threads of a culinary legacy. Perhaps it will manifest in its full elegance as delicate golden tresses, resting languorously on a gleaming banana leaf; or, maybe as a…