About Joy:

Joy (or Phamook in Thai) was born in Prachinburi Province, Thailand. She grew up with no electricity and was raised by her paternal grandparents. At 15 she started cooking for money to go to school. It was her grandmother who taught her to cook years earlier.

After finishing high school, she began working in the automotive parts industry for the Yasaki Corporation. After numerous promotions, she moved to Gotemba in Japan’s Shizuoka Prefecture, where she worked in the engineering department. During a business trip to the United States, Joy decided she would like to settle in America permanently.

After eight years in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Joy purchased White Elephant Thai Cuisine in downtown Carlisle. In the summer of 2016, she changed the name of her restaurant to Carlisle Thai Cuisine as a way to say thank you to the community that had been so supportive.

Leading up to COVID, Joy spent time in Washington, D.C., helping to open Thai and Japanese restaurants. After deciding not to renew her lease in Carlisle, she moved to NYC, starting a plant-based concept on the Lower East Side.

After taking over Bangkok Bar NYC, Joy decided to open her first dedicated Korean food spot in the adjacent space. She tested a couple Korean dishes on previous menus as far back as 2015 and is excited to open this fast-casual spot in one of Brooklyn’s best food halls.

Joy and her staff cook with natural ingredients, just like the ones she grew up with. She believes that food is medicine.