Thai Chi restaurant welcomes new chef de cuisine

Aphithak Withojit, known as chef Mac.

With more than 28 years in the F&B industry, Aphithak Withojit, known as chef Mac, has joined Thai Chi as chef de cuisine.

“I am very pleased to have chef Mac on board,” says Jose Jorge, executive chef of Pyramids restaurants at Wafi. "With Aphithak I am confident that Thai Chi will remain number one authentic Thai restaurant in Dubai."

Withojit began his career in Thailand in 1987 at the age of 17, where he worked as a trainee chef in two restaurants in Bangkok - after having grown up in the outskirts of North East Thailand.

He then embarked on sushi master training in Singapore in 1989, and continued his career in Thailand, moving into the hotel industry as chef and senior sous chef in 1990 where he managed kitchens featuring Chinese, Japanese, Singaporean, Malaysian and Thai cuisine.

In 1995, he joined the Sukhothai Group to lead the opening team of Sukhothai Restaurant on Cape Town South Africa, where he held the role of head chef de cuisine for three years before becoming Western senior chef de partie at Five Flies Restaurant & Bar in Cape Town.

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In 2000 he began working with Berfin Group as group Thai chef. In 2002, Withojit developed, owned and operated his own restaurant in Cape Town, Aphithak’s Thai Restaurant.

In 2005, he moved back into the hotel industry working for Arabella Sheraton Grand Hotel as part of the opening team and The Westin Grand Arabella Quays as Asian chef de cuisine.

Withojit continued his culinary journey in the UAE as head sushi xhef at Karma Kafe in Souk Al Bahar Dubai, as part of the opening team. Later that year, he was recruited by Buddha Bar at Grosvenor House Dubai, where was head chef de cuisine.

He then returned to his roots in 2009, taking on the role of head chef at Thiptara Royal Thai Restaurant, The Palace, Old Town in Burj Dubai.

He also worked with Emirates Flight Catering in Dubai for some time as executive sous chef, Japanese & Asian speciality and in 2012 joined Anantara as part of the opening team for the Eastern Mangroves Hotel & Spa in Abu Dhabi as head chef de cuisine at Pachaylen Thai Restaurant where he worked until recently when he joined Wafi as chef de cuisine of Thai Chi Restaurant.