Dominique Woolf is a half-Thai food writer, cookbook author, and founder of Asian food brand The Woolf’s Kitchen. On a recent journey through Thailand with Experience Travel Group, she set out to do more than eat well. She wanted to reconnect with family, follow an ingredient that shaped her career, and experience the everyday food culture that makes Thailand so magnetic.
This is Dominique’s story, in her words, woven through the route we designed around flavour, people, and place.
From “lightbulb moment” to The Woolf’s Kitchen
Dominique’s path into food was not linear. Before launching her brand, she worked in recruitment and was also a singer-songwriter. After having three children close together, she found herself at a crossroads.
“I didn’t actually have a career to fall back on after I’d had my three kids… there was a bit of a period of self-searching, what do I do with my life?”
The answer arrived through something she had always loved: sauces. And specifically, one sauce.
“I’m half Thai, my auntie used to make these amazing sauces and actually it was in tasting one of these that literally was the lightbulb moment. It was a tamarind sauce… I remember being absolutely blown away.”
Tamarind became more than an ingredient. It became a thread linking family, heritage and a business built to bring bold Asian flavours to everyday cooking.
“So for me, it’s all about giving people a really quick and easy way of getting Asian flavours on their tables, whether that’s through one of my recipes or one of my products.”
Dominique launched her range during lockdown, later winning Channel 4’s The Great Cookbook Challenge with Jamie Oliver and going on to write two cookbooks. Through The Woolf’s Kitchen, she continued to bottle the flavours that first inspired her, with tamarind at the heart of it all.
Auntie Deng, “magic sauce”, and the food that showed up when Dominique needed it most
One of the most moving parts of Dominique’s story is how food arrived when she needed it most.
“Auntie Deng used to come over to my house when I’d just had a newborn baby… Mum would help with the kids and the cleaning, and Auntie Deng would make food.”
She did not just bring meals. She brought jars of sauces that made everyday cooking possible during an exhausting time.
“Bring massive jars, literally kilner jars of sauces… one of them was magic sauce.”
Magic sauce is a Thai stir-fry base, made from oyster sauce, fish sauce, soy and sugar, reduced until thick and glossy. It is what allows dishes to be cooked quickly and consistently in home kitchens and street stalls alike.
That idea, comfort and confidence in a jar, later became the foundation of Dominique’s own products.
Why Thailand, and why now?
Despite having family in Thailand, Dominique had only visited a handful of times. This trip was a chance to return with purpose, guided by food and family.
It was also when she fully realised just how central tamarind is to Thai cooking.
“I didn’t know how ubiquitous it was. It’s literally everywhere.”
From street food stalls to restaurant menus, tamarind appeared again and again: spooned over deep-fried fish, paired with river prawns, stirred into salads and sold in small bags at markets. The flavours she knew from home suddenly made sense in context.
She also learned something new about her own family history. In Thailand, she discovered that her aunt and grandmother had always made tamarind fresh, soaking and squeezing the pods by hand. It was a tradition her mother had never passed on. Making it herself, later in Chiang Mai, closed that circle.
Bangkok: street food, markets, and the energy that makes you feel alive
Bangkok delivered Dominique’s favourite way to travel: through markets.
“I love going to the market and seeing what’s going on… especially when it’s not particularly touristy.”
In neighbourhoods like Ari, she followed her guide to street stalls serving dishes she already loved, but made brighter by fresher herbs and sharper balance. One highlight was Yum Khao Tod, a crispy rice salad Dominique had cooked on television but never eaten in Thailand before.
“The abundance of herbs you get in Thailand is incredible.”
Another lasting memory came late at night, when a fruit market was only just getting started.
“It was about half nine at night… and I’d never seen so much fresh fruit.”
The energy, the freshness, and the sense that food is always happening stayed with her.
Ayutthaya: a breath of history between bites
On Dominique’s wider itinerary, Ayutthaya sits as a beautiful change of rhythm. A day of riverside temples, stories, and a slower pace that gives shape to the journey. It is the kind of pause that makes Bangkok feel even brighter when you return, and it sets you up perfectly for the next chapter in the north.
Chiang Mai: cooking with Chef Gee and making tamarind by hand
If Bangkok is the buzz, Chiang Mai is the deep inhale. A cooler pace, softer edges, and an incredible food culture that rewards anyone curious enough to learn.
For Dominique, one of the most meaningful experiences here was cooking with Chef Gee in the countryside.
“We pulled out lemongrass. I’d never pulled out lemongrass before. Ginger, turmeric, all sorts of things.”
Dominique noticed how different ingredients are when they are grown locally. Young ginger was mild and delicate. Garlic was soft enough to eat with its skin. Herbs were everywhere.
Together, they cooked northern dishes including khao soi, a creamy coconut curry noodle soup, and miang kham, betel leaves filled with finely chopped ingredients and topped with a sticky tamarind sauce.
“You put it in your mouth in one go… and it’s sensational.”
They also made tamarind the traditional way, soaking and squeezing the pods by hand.
“That was really nice to actually try that.”
Phuket: spice-scented shores and a final toast
On the longer itinerary inspired by Dominique’s trip, Phuket adds a final layer: sea air, sunset, and the island’s multicultural food story. It is where the journey becomes a little looser. A place to wander markets, taste noodles and sweets shaped by generations of migration, and end with something celebratory, from distillery tastings to a Michelin-recommended farewell meal.
Why a local guide changes everything
Dominique is very clear on what made the trip feel different: local knowledge you can trust.
“With a guide, you know this person knows what they’re doing. So you can trust them that they’re going to take you somewhere that’s got great food.”
She spoke candidly about how easy it is to fall into tourist traps without insider knowledge, something she has experienced many times before.
For Dominique, having a guide did not remove spontaneity. It created confidence. It let her say yes more often, try more things, and move through Thailand with curiosity instead of uncertainty.
Dominique’s best street food tip
For anyone nervous about Thai street food, Dominique’s advice is practical and reassuring.
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Go with a guide for peace of mind.
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Look for Michelin Bib Gourmand spots, including casual and street food.
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If you do neither, choose somewhere busy with lots of locals, so you know the food is fresh.
If you taste Thailand in one dish
If someone wants to understand Thai food through a single dish, Dominique’s answer is clear.
“Yum Khao Tod. It’s got lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, chilli. That spicy, salty, sour, sweet balance is Thailand.”
It is a dish built on contrast, texture and freshness, and one she recommends seeking out if you can. And if you are in London, she recommends trying it at Supawan in King’s Cross.
What Dominique brought home
Some souvenirs are more revealing than postcards. Dominique brought back different types of tamarind, including tamarind sweets given to her by a driver.
“Instead of Pro Plus, you take these tamarind sweets… the tartness wakes you up and there’s a coating of sugar… that energy boost.”
It is a small detail, but it captures the whole trip: Thailand as flavour, as daily life, as a clever solution, as joy.
If you could bottle one feeling from Thailand
Dominique doesn’t hesitate.
“Excitement. That’s how I feel when I go to a market… everything looks so intriguing and I can’t wait to try as many things as I can.”
That is the heart of this itinerary. Not just a list of places, but a feeling you carry through the days, led by flavour and made richer by the people who know where to take you.
Follow Dominique’s Thailand
Inspired by Dominique’s journey, we created a signature itinerary that celebrates Thailand through food, people and stories, from Bangkok’s street stalls to Chiang Mai’s countryside kitchens and Phuket’s colourful markets.
A Flavourful Journey Through Thailand with Dominique Woolf
If you want to experience Thailand the way Dominique did, we will tailor the itinerary to you, your pace, and your priorities.
Check out the full itinerary and talk to us to start designing your trip.
