I’m a Port Washington neighbor, the owner of Smusht, and a guy who fell hard for Thai food.

I’ve always enjoyed how food brings people together. When I travel, I seek out markets, street food, and opportunities to meet people over a meal. In 2019, I traveled through Malaysia, Thailand, and Cambodia, exploring neighborhoods by bike, wandering markets, and taking a one-on-one food tour with a local guide. Those experiences deepened my interest in the food and the people and traditions behind it.

For my 50th birthday in 2025, I traded a party for a private Thai cooking lesson with Derek Lucci of MakeBistro. I also had the chance to attend a small dinner at the chef’s home. The care behind the cooking, the dishes shared around the table, and the intimacy of that setting stayed with me. It was the kind of evening I wanted to create for others.

Since then, I’ve spent a lot of time cooking, reading, practicing, sourcing ingredients, and asking questions. I pound curry pastes by hand, make coconut cream from scratch, and return to dishes again and again to better understand how they work.

And I chop. A lot.

I’m a home cook with a deep respect for Thai cuisine and plenty still to learn. That learning is part of what I love: understanding a technique, finding an unfamiliar ingredient, or making a dish a little better than the last time.

Through Smusht, I’ve also seen how food can create connections within a community. These dinners are a more personal way to bring together some of the things I enjoy most: cooking, meeting people, sharing a meal, and giving locally.

My hope is that you leave having tasted something new, met someone you’re glad to know, and learned a little about an organization doing good work close to home.

See you around the table!