Despite the dress-up interior of Bangkok Joe’s restaurant and her own professional chef’s garb, Aulie Bunyarataphan — owner and executive chef of this and the contemporary Thai restaurant T.H.A.I. in Shirlington — looks very casual and just a little bit older than a teen. Yet she has packed in 20-plus years of cooking and restaurant management experience, and brims with so much energy and so many ideas that ordinary folk feel somewhat dazed.
Clearly, her can-do personality has propelled her to the top of the Thai restaurant world, a rarefied place where competition is keen and chef-shuffling is part of the game. Fortunately, Aulie (pronounced “oo-lee”) can easily work every aspect and station of her two restaurants and that must be a saving grace.
