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SHARING a taste of her beloved Thai cuisine with the ladies of Tyrone this evening (Thursday) is how Nadia Cassidy will be celebrating this year’s International Women’s Day.
Nadia Cassidy, who is originally from Phitsanulok, Thailand and who has been living in Omagh for more than a decade, learned to cook when she was just 12-years old.
Born into a strict family, as her dad Kanchit Thacharoen was a policeman and her mother Kannika Thacharoen was a nurse, Nadia, who had one younger sister, was sent to a ‘good school’ where she learned valuable life skills, such as embroidery, Thai arts, martial arts – and of course Thai cooking.
“I started learning how to cook at school when I was 12,” Nadia, who has just turned 40, recounted. “I have always loved it. Food is everywhere in Thailand; it is a very important part of our culture.
“In Thailand, we cook and eat together as a family.
“At home, my mum and dad always asked me to help when they were cooking, and I also learned many recipes from my family.”
Nadia graduated from Bueng Phra College with a degree in Tourism Industry.
After that, she studied for two years at Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University in the field of Human Ecology, which focuses on food science, nutrition, and food systems management before returning to help with the family business.
But little did Nadia know that her life would take a very different path in 2011 after a visit to the North.
“In 2011, I had the opportunity to visit a friend who had married a local man,” Nadia reflected. “Her husband kindly sponsored me to visit on a tourist visa. While there, I met Martin – who later became my husband!”
‘Very proud’
The happy couple got married in 2013, and in 2014 Nadia moved to live in the North with her husband’s family, before they bought a house together in Omagh in 2015.
My cooking skills developed even more after I moved here, as I couldn’t go out and buy Thai food,” Nadia said. “So I have to cook it myself if I want specific dishes. But I love sharing Thai cuisine with local people. It is something my family is very proud of me for doing.”
Continuing to nurture her love for cooking, Nadia then started her own business ‘Thai Arts & Cooking’ before eventually beginning teaching cooking classes across Tyrone, and indeed the North, featuring her much-loved family recipes, refined and perfected over the decades.
“My business has been very successful, people here love my food,” Nadia smiled. “I am often invited to do Thai cooking demonstrations and teach cooking classes which I really enjoy.
“It makes me happy to introduce Thai food to people and to share stories about Thai culture.
“I would like to say a big thank you to the people here who have always supported us,” Nadia added.
“It is just wonderful to exchange cultural knowledge and experiences with others.”
You can catch Nadia Cassidy at an International Women’s Day event at the Hub Campsie today (Thursday, March 5) from 5pm to 8pm.
To keep up-to-date with all of Nadia’s community events, classes and catering, please visit: Thai Arts & Cooking NI on Facebook
