Today we’d like to introduce you to Goi Yujaroen.
Hi Goi, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I actually started as a teacher, not a chef. I earned my Master’s in Educational Psychology and spent 25+ years teaching across cultures — including years as an Assistant Professor of Thai at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey. Teaching is the thread through my whole life. I love the moment when something clicks and someone realizes, “Oh! I can do this.”
Cooking was something I chose — I set out to truly learn the dishes I’d grown up loving, and honestly, that’s exactly why I’m good at teaching them. I remember what it’s like to start from zero. ThaiIsFun is where those two passions met: everything I know about teaching, wrapped around the food of my home. Not a restaurant, not a lecture — a hands-on class where you laugh, make a mess, taste as you go, and leave able to cook it yourself.
Today it’s the only Thai cooking class on the Monterey Peninsula, and my favorite measure of success is simple: people leave happier than when they came in.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The biggest leap was going from professor to business owner. As a teacher, I walk into a classroom and I’m home — that part I know in my bones. But suddenly I wasn’t just the teacher. I was the marketer, the accountant, the shopper, the dishwasher, and the cleanup crew, all in one day. Nobody hands you a manual for that.
Being far from home added another layer. I built ThaiIsFun from scratch in a country that isn’t the one I grew up in, without family down the street to lean on. Every step — permits, pricing, filling a class — I figured out by doing it, sometimes getting it wrong, and trying again.
And a cooking class grows slowly. It’s not a viral, overnight thing — it’s one happy student telling a friend, one full class at a time. There were quiet weeks where I wondered if I was a little crazy to do this.
I’m also a lifelong learner, so I’ve leaned into the parts that don’t come as naturally — sharing our story online, telling it to new people in new ways. I’d rather grow than stay comfortable.
But every one of those struggles taught me something, and none of them made me want to quit. If anything, the hard parts made the full, laughing classrooms feel that much sweeter.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
What I specialize in is making Thai cooking approachable. So many people love Thai food but feel intimidated to make it — all those unfamiliar ingredients and sauces. My job is to take that fear away and replace it with confidence. You leave my class not just having eaten something delicious, but knowing you can make it again in your own kitchen.
What sets me apart is that I’m a teacher first. I have a Master’s in Educational Psychology and 25+ years in classrooms across the world. Most cooking classes are led by cooks; mine is led by an educator who happens to cook. I know how people actually learn — how to make a beginner feel safe, keep the energy playful, and turn a recipe into a story you remember.
And that’s what I’m most proud of. Not the awards or the numbers — the fact that people walk out of my class happier than when they walked in, carrying a new skill and a big smile.
How do you think about happiness?
But the deepest happiness for me is connection. That moment in class when a room full of strangers is laughing, stirring, tasting, and suddenly they’re not strangers anymore — they’re friends sharing a meal. Food does that. It always has. Growing up in Thailand, food was never just food; it was how people gathered, took care of each other, and showed love. Getting to create that same feeling here, so far from where I started, makes me really happy.
I’m also happiest when I’m learning something new or solving a little puzzle — I’m a lifelong learner at heart. And I love the simple things: a walk, a good market, cooking for the people I care about, a day where I get to be a little silly.
I live by a motto — live like a child, work like an adult, think like a philosopher. When I get to do all three in one day, that’s a happy day.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ThaiIsFun.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thaiisfun/
- Yelp: https://yelp.to/pxANqTCRHK
