Meet chef Duangporn "Bo" Songvisava, Founder of Bo.lan
Lifestyle Asia Logo
Style
Travel
Pursuits
Wine & Dine
Beauty & Wellness
People & Events
The Lists
Most Trending
Influential Women to Know: Meet chef Duangporn “Bo” Songvisava, Founder of Bo.lan
Most Recent
Influential Women to Know: Meet chef Duangporn “Bo” Songvisava, Founder of Bo.lan
Most Trending
Bvlgari, the Jeweler of Time, Launches New Instantly Iconic Watches!
Most Recent
Prestige x Louis Vuitton Edit on Cruise 2020 Collection
  • Fashion
  • Jewellery
  • Watches
Most Trending
Welcome the Holidays by Staying in at Banyan Tree Ungasan, Bali
Most Recent
Club Marriott is about exclusive culinary experiences, not its hotels
  • Destinations
  • Hotels & Resorts
Most Trending
An exclusive look at Dior’s first home decor boutique in Paris
Most Recent
Kezia Karin’s Super Project for 2019 Louis Vuitton Exotic Leather Collection
  • Art & Culture
  • Design & Property
  • Motors
  • Luxe Living Asia
Most Trending
Prestige Dining Review: Greyhound
Most Recent
Take your night to new heights at AVENUE Lounge, Marina Bay Sands’ sophisticated secret
  • Dining
  • Drinks
Most Trending
December beauty favourites: Holiday collections we’re keeping for ourselves
Most Recent
5 Holiday-Scented Beauty Products to Shop this Festive Season
  • Beauty
  • Wellness
Most Trending
Charlotte Tilbury: “In life you can have it all”
Most Recent
3 Best New Year’s Eve Party in Bali and Jakarta
  • People
  • Events
Most Trending
#40Under40theVanguards: James Hadisurjo
Most Recent
40 Under 40 2019 — The Vanguards
  • id
    • HK
    • ID
    • MY
    • SG
    • TW
    • TH
  • Search
Influential Women to Know: Meet chef Duangporn “Bo” Songvisava, Founder of ...
Sort & Filter
Close Filter
Sort By
Date
Relevance
Filter By Category
All Categories
All
Style
Travel
Pursuits
Wine & Dine
Beauty & Wellness
People & Events
The Lists
Apply
Filter By Location
indonesia
All Countries
People & Events
3 Best New Year’s Eve Party in Bali and Jakarta
People & Events
Charlotte Tilbury: “In life you can have it all”
People & Events
Montblanc turns Paris (RED)
Prestige Online Logo
id
Influential Women to Know: Meet chef Duangporn “Bo” Songvisava, Founder of ...
Back
Style
  • Fashion
  • Jewellery
  • Watches
Back
Travel
  • Destinations
  • Hotels & Resorts
Back
Pursuits
  • Art & Culture
  • Design & Property
  • Motors
  • Luxe Living Asia
Back
Wine & Dine
  • Dining
  • Drinks
Back
Beauty & Wellness
  • Beauty
  • Wellness
Back
People & Events
  • People
  • Events
Back
The Lists
  • Hong Kong
  • Indonesia
  • Malaysia
  • Singapore
  • Taiwan
  • Thailand
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
Sort & Filter
Close Filter
Sort By
Date
Relevance
Filter By Category
All Categories
All
Style
Travel
Pursuits
Wine & Dine
Beauty & Wellness
People & Events
The Lists
Apply
Filter By Location
indonesia
All Countries
People & Events
12 Nov 2019

Influential Women to Know: Meet chef Duangporn “Bo” Songvisava, Founder of Bo.lan

Created with Sketch.
Mary Losmithgul
Article Hero Image
Trending Now
Pursuits
Kezia Karin’s Super Project for 2019 Louis Vuitton Exotic Leather Collection
People & Events
3 Best New Year’s Eve Party in Bali and Jakarta
Style
Prestige x Louis Vuitton Edit on Cruise 2020 Collection
People & Events
Charlotte Tilbury: “In life you can have it all”
Sign up for our newsletter to receive the latest on the city's top personalities and coverage at exclusive events.

To keen enthusiasts of Bangkok’s Thai fine-dining scene, the name Duangporn Songvisava — or more commonly, chef Bo — rings with significance. Known for pushing the boundaries of the culinary arts through uncompromisingly delicious and premium-quality plates, she and her husband Dylan Jones have been taking Thai cuisine to the next level at their Michelin-starred restaurant Bo.lan.

Wine & Dine
Leading Female Chefs in Thailand You Need to Know

Among one of the first purveyors of fine Thai gastronomy, we managed to sit down and have a chat with chef Bo during the Dragonfly 360 Women Summit 2019 — the first female empowerment summit of its kind to exist in the region. There, she shared with us her journey to becoming one of the key faces of Thailand’s culinary scene, making your mark in the kitchens, and standing up for yourself and your dreams. Here’s what we learned.

 

To Make a Good Dish, You Need Balance

When asked what every good dish needs to have, chef Bo tells us she always looks for a good blend of tastes and textures. “Flavour-wise, for Thai food, you need a balance of the flavours and textures. You can have sweet, sour, spicy, and salty tastes, but how you balance it — what are the front palettes, and what are the back palettes — these questions are very important. Then you need to think about the textures as well, and whether your dish is creamy, or crispy, or crunchy.”

 

Not only does chef Bo consider the elements of each dish, but she also places a lot of importance in how it was made, and the source of each component. “For me, the underlying characteristic of every good dish is where its ingredients came from,” she says, “Who grows it, who harvests it, how it’s been grown, is it ethical or sustainable — these questions have been equally important as well.”

 

As a Chef, You too can Change the World.

“Food has really interested me from a young age,” chef Bo explains, when asked what it means to be a chef. “I like eating it, cooking it, and when I first became a chef I just wanted to cook good food and please people.” It’s a simple dream, and while providing delicious meals for people to enjoy is still among chef Bo’s goals, she’s since expanded on her hopes and dreams. “

 

At this point in time, I feel like with my position there is a lot I can do to give back to society, either by supporting small scale farmers, or organic communities, as well as raising awareness of environmental issues that come from eating and drinking. I feel that as a chef I have so much influence on how other people perceive or consume food, and these days there is a lot more talk about sustainable consumption and sustainable productions. I think I am in a good place to communicate that to a much wider audience.”

 

In the Kitchen, all Genders are Equal

While many like to think of chefs as a “male-dominated” profession, chef Bo actually has different views. She looks back on her own experiences in the industry. “At the first kitchen I was in, the head chef was a girl,” she tells us, “and then at the second place I worked for, the head chef was gay. So, for me, the kitchen has always been a place where all genders are equal. You don’t have to act strong to prove yourself or anything, you just have to be yourself in the kitchen and it will work out.”

 

In fact, the kitchens she’s be in have all been very merit-based, and she recalls her initial struggles mostly stemmed from her late entry into the culinary scene. “It wasn’t really easy in the beginning, because I started when I was half-way through my masters degree, which is a lot later than other people. Normally people begin this type of career when they’re like 19 or in their early 20s, sometimes even younger in Europe, but I was 23. I felt like there was a lot I had to catch up on, and many skills I had to practice, while other people my age in the kitchens could do a lot more than I could. Then when I went to London, I had to learn about all the cultural differences in the kitchen — how you act, how you talk, how to survive in the kitchens, basically. All that really built the foundations for me on how to have my own restaurant.”

 

It is Okay to Cry

Not only does chef Bo believe it isn’t necessary to constantly put up a strong front, she shares that she oftentimes worries for younger females in the industry who believe they need to fit under a certain persona in order to succeed. “One of the things I sort of become more and more concerned about is that females will think, ‘oh, you have to be tough, and you have to be strong’, and I’m really worried about their mental health,” she confesses. “We try so hard that sometimes we forget we can be soft as well, and it’s okay to cry, and at the end of the day, your mental is most important.”

 

Stand Up For Yourself, and Do What You Love

When it comes to advice for women looking to follow in her path, chef Bo encourages them to stand up for themselves. “It’s good that people have become more aware of gender equality, or the empowerment of women, because I think in this part of the world it’s really needed. I probably want to see more women stand for themselves or stand their ground a little more, because — especially in Thailand — they tend to be quite submissive. They can be more, not passive-aggressive, but more assertive for sure, and believe in what they can do.

As for becoming a chef, “You just have to make sure that you really like it,” she says simply, “because it’s not as pretty as it looks. But if you have commitment and you have passion, you will be successful for anything you want to do anyway.”

To find out more about Bo.lan, visit bolan.co.th. To find out more about the Dragonfly 360 Summit, visit dragonfly360.co.

people
bo.lan
dragonfly 360
Mary Losmithgul
The online content creator for Prestige Thailand, Mary handles the magazine's digital platforms. She enjoys black coffee, astro charts and listening to entire albums in one go. When not engrossed in a novel or having brunch, catch her on the hunt for new restaurants and the city's latest happenings.
Talk to Me About:
Society
events
travel
property
watches
drinks

Up Next For You

People & Events
People & Events
Prestige It Fashion Icon of the Year: Cindy Angelina
Ajeng G. Anindita
People & Events
People & Events
Prestige It Girl of the Year: Vannya Istarinda
Claudia Rindiantika
People & Events
People & Events
Event photo gallery: Chan Kok Weng and Elaine Lim-Chan hosted a reception for artist Cyril Kongo
Yanni Tan
People & Events
People & Events
"Princess" Syahrini on Happy Vibes, Singing Career, and Whirlwind of Romance and Marriage
Ajeng G. Anindita
Sign up for our newsletter to receive the latest on the city's top personalities and coverage at exclusive events.
×
Where are you?
Tell us so we can display what you want to see.
  • Hong Kong
  • Indonesia
  • Malaysia
  • Singapore
  • Taiwan
  • Thailand
Hong Kong Indonesia Malaysia Singapore Taiwan Thailand
Advertise About Privacy Policy Terms & Conditions
© 2019 Copyright Prestige Online