Food connects people

My story

My name is Chotima and I am a Thai / Dutch architect and design researcher, multilingual (Thai, Chinese, Dutch & English) living in Amsterdam since 2014. My architecture and urban design practice explore the space for eating (Eatscape) and how this type of urban activity structures and shapes the built environment. Coming from a well-to-do foodie family in the middle of Bangkok & growing up alone in Taipei in my teenage years are rooting me for having a high understanding & expectation of food. Living in Berlin, Rotterdam, Barcelona, Brussels & Luxemburg using food as my way of communication with the local culture has proven to be very successful. Both homesick and strong personal interest in using foodways to connect with people, I became a home cook in 2018 just before Covid-19 started. My motivation for cooking is offering my service to my community and contributing toward livable city-making. I have offered nutritious, social and inclusive food for neighbours ever since.

I highly praise the person-to-person relationship through material culture such as food. I communicate, buy, cook and deliver food personally to all my clients. Cocodiningamsterdam.nl started out from my home kitchen with a little side table at my front door where I meet up with my clients (neighbours). Today, I offer business and family pop-up meal catering the same way – out of my home kitchen. Keeping it small-scale and intimate because I strongly believe that food becomes alive and is able to carry intentions with them. It is the person-to-person understanding, care and attention that makes it alive. You can taste and feel it from how the food is cooked, presented and eaten.