About me
Howdy! Thanh here, (that’s John with a T), also known to many as TT. I’m a chef, cooking instructor and event florist based in the wonderful city of Seattle.
Atypical for as far back as I can remember, I grew up inspired to be a teacher, spending weekend mornings watching Martha Stewart and Cisco Morris. I gravitated towards playing with flour and flowers every chance I got. After earning my B.A. as a drama major from the University of Washington (Go Dawgs!), I ventured on to complete my formal culinary training at Seattle Culinary Academy and Star Chef Management in Hong Kong. I’ve also earned certificates as a certified instructor of cake decorating from Wilton and Contemporary Restaurant Desserts from Valrhona. Over the years, I’ve served as pastry chef at some of Seattle's favorite restaurants, including Wild Ginger, The Triple Door, and Poppy.
Currently, I teach cooking and pastry at Whisk Cooks and PCC. At Whisk I teach pastry and Asian cooking classes as well as summer camps for kids and teens. My classes at PCC aim to highlight local ingredients and adapt them into traditional recipes without losing the soul of the recipe. General information about my classes can be found here. Aside from teaching, I moonlight as a wedding and event florist. Sporting my florist hat, I expand my creative flair to design arrangements as unique as my clients. You may have seen me on a couple local television programs such as KCTS’s In Close, and New Day Northwest.
When not in the kitchen, I enjoy spending my time traveling, volunteering, catching a horror movie, gardening or working on sewing project. My experiences and passion for food, traveling, teaching and most importantly – learning, has led me to realize that we have more in common than differences. Whether stir-frying or sautéing, both techniques involve moving small pieces of food around in a hot pan. Food brings the world closer. Sharing a table allows us to be more mindful and compassionate of embracing each other’s uniqueness. Pull up a chair, let me make you a plate!