From most Wednesdays to Saturdays, a common sight along Bangkok's Maha Chai Road is a snaking queue outside one particular street food stall — Michelin-starred Jay Fai.

But soon, those queues may be no more, as its owner Supinya Junsuta is considering retirement. 

In an interview with Thai media outlet Komchadluek, the 81-year-old, who's also known by her nickname, Jay Fai, shared that the job has been taking a toll on her. 

Not only is it physically tiring, Supinya is also exhausted from sourcing for ingredients from suppliers amid intense competition from rival eateries.

Some had wondered if Supinya's daughter, Yuwadee Junsuta, will take over the reins.

"No, I don't want to continue," Supinya responded flatly to the reporter's query.

Supinya, who cooks every single dish by herself, does not want Yuwadee or anyone else to do so as the taste of the food may differ. 

But while she does not want anyone to inherit the business, she does not mind passing down her recipes. 

"If anyone wants the recipes, I can teach you for free," she said in the interview.

As of now, Supinya has no fixed retirement date in mind but said it "could be next year".

From self-taught cook to Michelin-starred chef

Prior to becoming the legendary hawker that she is today, Supinya worked as a seamstress for 10 years, reported Bangkok Post in 2021. 

Later on, the self-taught cook worked alongside her mother and sisters selling rice porridge and chicken noodles from a food cart. 

To stand out from other street food vendors, she came up with new recipes and used premium seafood in her dishes. 

She eventually opened her own stall in the 1980s. 

In 2018, the stall was awarded one Michelin star — the first street food vendor to earn one — which it has maintained till today. Jay Fai also made it to the list of Asia's 50 Best Restaurants, with Supinya receiving its Icon Award in 2021.

Jay Fai is one of only two street food vendors in the world to have a Michelin star, with the other being Singapore's Tai Hwa Pork Noodle. 

Diners who visit Jay Fai can expect to wait in line for hours just to get a table and queues start forming even before the eatery opens. 

The wait is so long that people are willing to fork out money to get someone else to queue for them. 

This is despite the menu items being priced higher than your average street food. 

For context, her signature crab meat omelette costs 1,400 baht (S$55). Other dishes such as the Poo Phad Yellow Curry (yellow curry crab) and Phad-see-ew Talay (fried kuay teow with seafood) cost 2,000 baht and 600 baht respectively. 

melissateo@asiaone.com

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