Chef Chompoonuck “Joy” Dilbert, 51, grew up in Bangkok, Thailand, and moved to the U.S. four years ago, in 2022. Before opening Thai-Licious in Sarasota, she owned a successful restaurant back home, and says the only reason she’s ever cared about cooking is that she’s always hungry and thinking about what she can eat next. “I do love Thai food,” she says, “but I also dream about when I can eat Cheetos or have carbonara pasta.”

Dilbert speaks minimal English and communicates with customers via a translation app and with the help of her staff and her American business partner, John Buchan. Buchan befriended Dilbert when she worked at another local Thai restaurant and claims she makes the best Thai food he has ever tried. “She’s so meticulous in the kitchen, making sure everything is perfect. I knew immediately that she deserved her own restaurant, and I was happy to help,” he says.

Dilbert specializes in the foods of her home country, but spends her free time sampling whatever cuisine she can get her hands on. “I could never imagine doing any other job than being a chef since all I think about is food,” she says, laughing. “I’m a great Thai cook, but I’m also good at making American, Chinese, Japanese and Korean food. Oh, and I love to bake. I’d like to open a Thai bakery here one day.”

The secret to her restaurant’s success is that she’s willing to do anything she can in the kitchen to keep things running smoothly. “I do the dishes if I need to, which I actually like; I keep everything tidy, I taste everything, and adjust the spices if I need to,” she explains. “I might be a little strict, but I also have patience.”

Quick Bites

Food Craving: American barbecue, specifically, pulled pork.

Hobby: Gardening—tending Thai basil and other herbs she cooks with daily.

Family Roots: She’s a third-generation chef, and remembers her mother and grandmother bartering their food for goods in small Thai villages.

THAI-LICIOUS | 5755 S. Beneva Road, Sarasota, (941) 487-8551