Andy Ricker | |
|---|---|
 Ricker in 2011 | |
| Born | 1963 (age 61–62) North Carolina, U.S. |
| Culinary career | |
| Cooking style | Thai cuisine |
Andy Ricker (born 1963) is an American chef, restaurateur and cookery writer, known for his skill and expertise in northern Thai cuisine. [1]
Ricker was born in North Carolina, but lived for a period in Jeffersonville, Vermont. [2] He began working as a dishwasher at a fondue restaurant in Vermont at 16. [2] Ricker left Vermont after graduating high school and moved to Vail, Colorado. [2] After 3 1⁄2 years as a cook, he left Colorado to pursue international travel. [2]
Whilst travelling, he accumulated culinary knowledge whilst backpacking, working and staging in New Zealand, Australia and Thailand, including in Raymond Blanc's Michelin-star restaurant Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons in Oxfordshire, England.
He first visited Thailand in 1987. From 1992 onward, he continued his travels to Thailand, residing there for several months each year to study Thai food culture. [2]
After returning to the United States in 1989, Ricker founded Pok Pok in Portland, Oregon in November 2005 [2] , which closed in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.