For many people, finding a job, particularly one higher up the food chain, is a long, painstaking task that can take months to put a lid on.
Nongnuch Buranasetkul's case is the exception to the rule, as she snapped up a spot at Thailand's largest food and beverage company just by making a strong impression on Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi, the founder of Thai Beverage Plc (ThaiBev).
Mr Charoen first laid eyes on Mrs Nongnuch while she was accompanying her husband, Marut Buranasetkul, a long-serving top manager, at an executive party for the group.
Impressed by her manner, Mr Charoen personally asked her to join his business empire.
"I believe you are a real troubleshooter, you should join our team," Mrs Nongnuch, ThaiBev's food business chief executive, recalls him saying during her first encounter with the Thai billionaire nearly a decade ago.
Mr Thapana, Mr Charoen's son, also asked her to join the company every time they met. It wasn't until 2015 when Mrs Nongnuch, who had been working for Yum Restaurants International (Thailand) Co for a decade, recognised the opportunity to do something more challenging.
"I remember that Mr Thapana asked me to come and discuss business opportunities with him, but then he immediately said I should sign the contract as that day was an auspicious one," she says.
After eight months of working with Mr Thapana, in 2015 they unveiled their first venue, "SO Asean Cafe & Restaurant", a one-stop service for cuisine from 10 Asean countries.
"That year was the period when the Asean Economic Community was fully established, so we wanted to educate Thai and other Asean people on each other's cuisines," she says.
But there were obstacles along the way, as in-house preliminary research showed that for many, the food on offer was less than palatable.
"We conducted three focus groups, and the results were not inspiring. The food wasn't very alluring, so we had to keep adjusting both the taste and the presentation of the dishes," says Mrs Nongnuch.
She decided to bring in signature dishes from each country, including Pho from Vietnam, Nasi Lamak from Malaysia and Adobo from the Philippines. This drew positive responses from consumers. The tableware is all custom-made from Doi Tung to create a more presentable and authentic look for the dishes, says Mrs Nongnuch.
The first branch of SO Asean was opened and handled by Food of Asia Co Ltd, the food business affiliate of ThaiBev, at The Street Community Mall on Ratchadapisek Road.
"The feedback was better than expected,'' she says.
Over a three-year period, Mrs Nongnuch says she's played a vital role in helping Mr Thapana create a food empire, ranging from fine dining, casual dining to food courts.
At present, ThaiBev's food portfolio has expanded to various brands from So Asean Cafe & Restaurant, Food Street, Man Fuyuan Chinese restaurant, MX Cake & Bakery, Hyde & Seek, Cafe Chilli, Pot Ministry and Eat Pot. By year-end, the company's food portfolio is set to cover 22 branches.
While Mrs Nongnuch has worked over 10 years in the food business, she says running fine dining and casual dining restaurants are oceans apart.
"At Yum, we work in an industrialised way with precise ingredients and methods. Each particular pizza menu item tastes exactly the same. But working for fine dining is way more delicate. If the chef is not in a good mood or puts more or fewer ingredients in while cooking, we can have problems with customers," she says.
But even with those successes under their belts, Mr Thapana was only warming up. His next dream was not just to have a Thai fine dining restaurant, but the top-of-mind destination when one thinks of local cuisine.
Baan Suriyasai, a luxury fine-dining restaurant set in a century old, two-storey, traditional house in the Suriwong area, is intended to realise that ambition.
The company spent 50-80 million baht to turn the 100-year-old heritage house into the flagship restaurant for the group. Baan Suriyasai's doors are set to open in the next 1-2 months. With 100 seats, the restaurant will also boast a bar and garden. The company also plan to open a cooking school in the area with a souvenir shop.
"My goal is to make Baan Suriyasai a place where people need to book months in advance, like many establishments overseas that have long waiting lists, she says.
Asked why she is confident that Baan Suriyasai will on par to those with Micehlin stars, Mrs Nongnuch says that talented chefs will be cultivated to provide rare Thai delicacies in an authentic venue with its own story.
"We may not have a Michelin chef, but I believe Thai chefs are talented enough and can become famous. Then, we will finally earn our own Michelin stars one day," she says.
Once the restaurant is up and running, the company plans to synergise its culinary skills with hotel networks owned by Mr Chareon's hospitality group by bringing chefs to cook in other hotels abroad.
At the same time, it plans to expand the Baan Suriyasai brand to shopping malls or other outlets to offer more affordable dining experiences.
Mrs Nongnuch aims to double the size of ThaiBev's food business by 2020, an ambitious goal as it already operates 283 branches, including the Oishi Japanese restaurant. The firm also aims to boost revenue by 2-3 times, up from 6 million baht.
When asked how she wants her restaurant portfolio to be perceived, Mrs Nongnuch says she wants it to be the most admired food and service company in Thailand, with offerings fit for every lifestyle and occasion.
