A Thai Night to Remember

Not Ginger. Not Even Close.

I grabbed the woody root off the prep-kitchen counter and asked, “Halle, is this ginger?”

“No, I think she said it was something else,” Halle replied while tying her apron.

Chef Panita was busy across the kitchen, getting a few additional pans out for us to begin the Tom Kha Gai soup– one of my favorites and perfect for our crisp mountain weather.  

“Katie, is this ginger? It definitely looks like ginger,” I argued as I set it on my cutting board.  

“No,” she laughed. “It’s Galangal.”  

“It’s what?” questioned Halle.  

“It’s Gah-Lang-gl,” Katie confirmed, laughing again, louder this time.  

“Not ginger. Let’s say maybe a cousin to ginger, but nope, not ginger. It’s Galangal.”  

Galangal, though similar to ginger, is zestier, tougher, and more aromatic, a key ingredient in authentic Southeast Asian dishes.

It is true that every destination or city offers cooking classes. Some are centered around holidays. Others teach how to braid a pie crust or make a mean tailgating dip. But this “class” is unlike the others.  

Panita, owner and chef extraordinaire of White Truffle Catering, is a lot like galangal— a key, some might say a secret essential ingredient, to our Park City community and culinary scene.

And she is far from alone. Park City has quietly grown into one of the mountain West’s most exciting culinary destinations. Beyond the slopes and the legendary snow, Park City rewards the curious palate at every turn—from hand-crafted spirits distilled in the shadow of the Wasatch Range, to guided food tours that wind through the storied history of Historic Main Street, to wine tastings led by sommeliers who speak in the same language of passion and precision that Chef Panita brings to her kitchen.

A storyteller who transports you to Thailand while demonstrating how to wrap rice paper, slice a mango, and smell the sharp citrus aroma of galangal.  

A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Napa, CA where she received the Chanine Des Rotisseurs Award for her appreciation of French food and wine.  

A comedian who brings humor to the kitchen and jabs at her husband with polished wit.

A Park City resident who has elevated many top hotel culinary teams.

And last but not least, a female chef who was requested by the Royal Monks of Thailand to prepare their culinary menu. Yes, you read that right. I am not making this stuff up.  

Chef Panita also offers private and public cooking classes, welcoming everyone to her table with grace.

Class Is in Session

Panita and her team at White Truffle Catering offered my private group a cultural culinary experience. Second only, I suppose, to being in Thailand with her. With her storytelling charm and incredible wit, Panita transports you to the market in Thailand, where she learned at a young age to pick the best produce from her mother and grew up mastering culinary arts. From mint to mangos, and palm sugar to fish oil, Panita has mastered her craft and blends her cultural roots into her culinary classes with ease and artistry.  

On the Menu: A Thai Night to Remember

Panita can execute any type of cuisine, but for this cooking class, our menu was Thai. Our menu was hand-picked based on, quite candidly, exactly what I wanted to learn how to prepare.  

Spring Rolls: Each guest followed Panita’s demonstration and made their own, dipping rice paper, adding ingredients, and rolling for presentation. Panita prepared the peanut sauce ahead to save time but shared the recipe. Enjoying the appetizers during class was a delicious tease for the next courses.

Tom Kha Gai: In my humble opinion, this Thai coconut chicken soup has medicinal qualities. The coconut milk base has a very calming flavor, and the galangal, added an aromatic flavor that pleases every taste bud. For how flavorful this soup is, I was pleasantly relieved to learn how simple it was to create. An eye-opening experience for me was learning about the ingredients in Thai cooking. How uncomplicated each dish is. The key is understanding how to taste. Panita does indeed teach you how to cook. However, more importantly, she taught us to taste.

Before her culinary titles and accolades came along, Panita was a teacher at a prestigious university in Bangkok. It shows in the kitchen. She articulates and demonstrates what needs to be done in a non-intimidating way. Chefs can be intimidating. Very intimidating. Panita is not. She offers a very encouraging approach to those like me who are not natural in the kitchen. She is a teacher who shares the ability to discern what is missing from the dish: does it need sweet? Does it need salt? Does it need cream? She stops class, with a boiling pot on the stove, for all to taste and decide what is missing. I am used to following steps and trusting recipes. Adding exactly two tablespoons of this and perfectly measuring out that. This culinary experience shows another way of cooking, one where you learn to trust your taste and use flavors, not measuring cups, to complete the dish.  

Pad Thai: This is my favorite Thai dish and one I struggle to make at home. Selfishly, I also wanted to make this for my husband. He served in the military and was deployed to Thailand. He enjoyed his time there, with a big highlight being the cuisine. I wanted to attempt this authentic dish for him.  

We learned how to properly soak noodles, add to the proper work, add sauce, protein and veggies. We also learned how to hold the utensils properly while cooking. I’m learning that preparing Thai food is a process, a journey. Getting this right takes some skill, and Panita coaches every step of the way. It is quick and very satisfying to finish with a gorgeous plate of Pad Thai that you prepared yourself.  

Mango & Sticky Rice: Palm Sugar. A true confession, my American taste buds thought Mangos & Sticky Rice had sweetened condensed milk poured over it. That is entirely incorrect. Something we do not really know about in American cuisine is Palm Sugar. I had never heard of it. It is deliciously soft and serves as a smooth sweetener used in many Thai dishes.  Panita educated us on the difference of preparing true sticky rice and how to properly cut a mango (a new life skill).  She will not prepare this dish if the mangos are not worthy. The mangos must be ripe!

Time flies in this interactive class. Throughout our time together, Panita asks trivia questions about culinary arts and spontaneously awards vegetables, sheets of rice paper, molded Palm Sugar or cans of coconut milk to those who answer correctly. She brings the cooking class to life with laughter, encouragement, and plenty of taste-testing.

Pull Up a Chair

After cooking, we gathered with Chef Panita at her dining table, adorned with fresh flower bouquets and place settings. Guests bring their own drinks, in this case a bottle of red wine (that, yes, true fact, Panita was able to identify by scent alone to the hills of Santa Barbara with her sommelier talent). A toast was made to the joy of cooking, and all savored the culinary masterpieces that had just been prepared together. Each bite was so rewarding.  Leftovers were boxed up for all to take home and share with loved ones. You better believe, my husband devoured my Pad Thai and said it truly reminded him of being overseas. And the icing on the cake… or in this case, the mango on the sticky rice of the evening was my trivia prize that came home with my leftovers: A big chunk of Galangal.

Beyond the Kitchen: Park City’s Culinary Scene Runs Deep

If a cooking class with Chef Panita sparked a hunger to understand flavor, to engage with food on a deeper level, well we have good news. Park City gives you plenty of room to keep exploring. The town’s culinary scene extends well beyond any single kitchen table.

Spirits: A Taste of Place

When Panita identified that bottle of red wine by scent alone, it was a reminder that tasting is both a skill and a joy. That same philosophy drives Park City’s craft spirits scene. High West Distillery, Utah’s first legally licensed distillery, is a destination unto itself. Its tasting room and refectory offer guided tours through the distillation process and are capped with a flight of up to four whiskeys, including any limited releases on hand. The Sunday brunch pairing is a particularly memorable way to spend a mountain morning.

On Historic Main Street, Alpine Distilling offers a hands-on gin-making experience led by master botanical distiller Sara Sargent. Guests select their own botanicals—cinnamon, cucumber, orange peel, juniper, and more—and craft a personalized bottle to take home. Paired with a four-course dinner at 350 Main, it is equal parts education and indulgence. Much like my evening with Panita, you leave with something new in your hands and something new in your understanding of flavor.

Food Tours: History on a Fork

Park City’s culinary story is inseparable from its history. Delicious Cities leads guests on a 2.5-hour walking tour along Main Street, stopping at four distinct local purveyors of craft beer, wine, and spirits. Seasoned local guides weave in the town’s silver-mining past alongside the stories of the passionate artisans shaping its present. Paired snacks accompany each tasting, and sharp eyes will spot hidden street art tucked into the alleyways along the way. It is the kind of experience that turns an afternoon into a story worth telling.

For those who want to combine history and wine in a single afternoon, the Mines and Wines Tour takes guests out to the area’s historic mine sites by shuttle, with wine pairings and small bites offered at each stop along the route.

Wine, Beer & More: Raise a Glass to the Mountains

Wine lovers will want to mark their calendars for the Park City Wine Festival, an annual celebration set against fall foliage and mountain views. The Grand Tasting features over 200 wines, live music, and small bites from some of the area’s best chefs. For something more intimate, the Park City Wine Club hosts cheese-pairing events in collaboration with Park City Creamery, guided by a sommelier who brings the same instinct for teaching that made Chef Panita’s class so memorable.

Beer enthusiasts will find their footing at Wasatch Brewery on Main Street and at Deer Valley Resort’s annual Mountain Beer Festival in the fall, which features Utah craft brews, ciders, live music, and scenic chairlift rides through fall color. A five-course Brewmaster Dinner at Silver Lake Lodge caps the weekend for those who want to pair craft beer with a full culinary experience.

More Kitchens, More Lessons

If the cooking class format resonates, Park City has more to offer. Savoury Kitchen hosts team cooking competitions for groups of 6–15, complete with chef coaches, a fully equipped commercial kitchen, and a tasting finale. The Park City Culinary Institute offers hands-on classes for those who want to bring the mountain flavors home. And the team at Stein Eriksen Lodge runs wine pairing sessions that demystify the science of matching food and wine—a natural next step for anyone who spent an evening learning to trust their palate in Panita’s kitchen.

An incredible date-night experience, birthday gift, fun off-mountain experience, or a change-up for locals who are tired of eating out. Chef Panita’s humor, inspiration, and storytelling bring together an evening of sweet laughter and rooted connection.  White Truffle Catering offers a special culinary experience that you simply won’t forget. You’ll savor it, and I dare say crave it again and again.  

More Adventures in Park City