If you try to search for Papawin Pachantabutr’s name on Google, you most likely will not learn much. Phuket Gazette, The Phuket News, Window on Phuket, Phuket Index, and RL Magazine – all Phuket newspapers and magazines will have photos of her on social pages, but mostly with a simple caption stating, “This is Papawin Pachantabutr,” or “Khun May.” Sapienti sat, as the Latin saying goes.

Celebrating Phuket’s most inspiring women, we sat down with Khun May to reveal who she is beyond being the owner and manager of several iconic Phuket businesses.

An early bird driving through Chalong on the morning of December 3, 2023, would see an impressive assembly of men and women of all ages running along Wiset Rd.

Clad in bright red shirts, they set off from Kan Eang @Pier before dawn to make a circle around the neighborhood and return to the iconic restaurant for an award ceremony and a well-deserved lunch.

This was how Khun May’s family celebrated the 50th anniversary of Kan Eang @Pier, the jewel box of Phuket cuisine that started as a simple seaside eatery half a century ago.

The evening party at Kan Eang @Pier saw an impressive array of special guests, including the newly appointed Phuket Governor Sophon Suwannarat and his spouse, Busadee Suwannarat.

Wise people say, you need to eat like a local to understand how the locals think. And this was exactly what Mr. Sophon and Ms. Busadee did with genuine pleasure.

Established in 1973, Kan Eang @Pier is one of the most well-known businesses of the Pachantabutrs and a reflection of Phuket’s identity through food.

Nothing short of a landmark is Impiana Resort and Spa in Patong, started by the Pachantabutrs in 1977 under the name of Phuket Cabana. Banana Beach at Koh Hey and Flying Hanuman are among other renowned venues of the Pachantabutrs.

With her family involved in the hospitality business since the dawn of Phuket tourism, Khun May got well-prepared for the task of continuing the legacy. Having finished high school at Wattana Witaya Academy in Bangkok, she entered the renowned École hôtelière de Lausanne in Switzerland and returned to Phuket to elevate the level of the whole island as a tourism destination.

Khun May’s two younger brothers followed suit. Khun Mon and Khun Mann finished Dulwich International College in Phuket (now British International School, Phuket) and then graduated from Trent University in Canada and Le Cordon Bleu College of Adelaide in Australia to join the family business. Khun May is now raising two kids, so the future is in safe hands.

We sat down with Khun May at Tantitium, a classy restaurant and bar in a heritage house on Dibuk Road in the heart of Phuket’s Old Town. The owner welcomed us, adorned in an amazing Peranakan attire, a signature outfit of Phuketians with Chinese roots.

Khun May admits that she is happy to see the growing interest from foreign tourists in Phuket Town and the island’s culture. Established in 2017 as an upscale bar for Thais, her Tantitium is now packed with foreigners every night. Guests from all over the world sip their drinks in the inner yard of a Sino-Portuguese shop-house built 105 years ago.

A Phuketian by soul and blood, Khun May feels comfortable in Peranakan attire, while her favorite dish is (of course!) Kanom Jeen Namya, an iconic dish of southern Thailand comprising tender rice noodles with a luscious fish curry sauce.

At Tantitium, they serve their Kanom Jeen Namya intentionally less spicy, so foreign guests can enjoy the taste of Phuket. The century-old colonial shophouse is also preserved in its original state, sharing ‘Phuketness’ with visitors. As Khun May highlights, this interchange between East and West has been crucial for the island’s identity.

“I was lucky to be born in the old Phuket, before the beginning of tourism and the rapid modernization of island life. I had a chance to see Phuket all green, with pristine nature and white sandy beaches, not as busy as today.”

“At some stage, our local culture and hospitality started attracting more and more tourists and expats from around the world, and this resulted in the interchange between locals and foreigners which brought to life a new cultural mix, the new Phuket community which we live in these days,” Khun May explains.

“If you come to Phuket, the first good advice would be to open your mind and respect the local culture. There are a lot of things to discover, though some cultural shocks are inevitable. When I came to Europe to study, I had to adapt to the cold weather and to the fact that people are not always smiling,” Khun May says, laughing.

Combining both worlds, Khun May enjoys taking her kids to western-style brunches at Phuket beach clubs. But when asked about her favorite leisure activities, she goes all local, starting with sharing good meals with friends & family, enjoying a massage, swimming in the pool and embracing Phuket nature with her boys.

“We are very local and islander-style in our preferred activities. Both my brothers and I are truly islanders: we love the sun, the beach, being in the sea, enjoying local food, and all kinds of outdoor activities. We are not concerned about keeping our skin white as some locals do, so we are not afraid to be in the sun. Most of all, my family loves to take our boat out – just to be in the sea, visiting our Banana Beach Koh Hey, fishing, and then having a barbecue with my two sons,” Khun May says.

Just like any Phuketian, Khun May has a tender spot in her heart for sweet treats, but she wouldn’t be who she is by limiting herself to the role of a customer. At Tantitium, Kan Eang @Pier, and Hanuman World, one can now try some of the finest local-made Crème Glacée, an artisan French ice cream with a choice of international flavors.

The Phuket-made French ice cream, branded as Lady Coco, is Khun May’s most recent enterprise and her current passion. And yet another – small but sweet – testament to the intertwinement of local and international threads in Phuket’s cultural fabric.

To savour the unique taste of Phuket’s tradition and modernity, head to Kan Eang @Pier in Chalong (Facebook.com/kaneangatpier) or Tantitium in the Old Town (Facebook.com/tantitium). All photos for this page has been taken at Tantitium.