Tamarind's philosophy is to use only the freshest, local ingredients and to give back to the community by supporting local producers and suppliers. It was started by Caroline, an Australian, and her Lao partner Joy.

Joy Ngeuamboupha

Joy grew up in a village a few hours from Luang Prabang, the second youngest of nine brothers and sisters. By Western standards, his life has been very challenging: as a child he was left to fend for himself, finding foods in the forests.

Aged eleven, Joy was sent to Luang Prabang by his father with just 4,000 kip (about 50c) and instructions to become a novice monk - the first time he had left his village, seen a large town, or laid eyes on a foreigner. Despite this difficult start, Joy flourished in the temple, learning English, and completing high school.

Joy took naturally to cooking, helped by an ability to find fresh ingredients almost anywhere! He still enjoys cooking alongside his sisters, sharing family culinary traditions.

Upon leaving the wat (monastery), Joy took up opportunities in the hospitality industry. He then met Caroline and inspired in her a love of Lao culture, people, landscape, and of course, food

Caroline Gaylard

After travelling and living around the world (culminating in a job as a tour leader throughout South East Asia) Caroline decided to settle in Laos.

The beauty of Luang Prabang and the gentle friendliness of the people were the drawcards for her, and she worked as a teacher and internet travel-guide writer. As a guide writer, she had checked out numerous restaurants and hotels and was aware the town lacked a welcoming place offering traditional Lao cuisine - as one would experience it in a local home.

Inspired by Joys creative cooking, the pair decided to offer travellers a user-friendly experience of local food and be a resource for local produce, food tastings and events in Luang Prabang. Tamarind: a taste of Laos was opened in December 2005, with Joy and Caroline now compiling a cookbook.

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