Siam Hotels & Resorts – Environment & Social

Urban Neighbours of Hope (UNOH) Interns @ The Sukosol

From November 12–16 The Sukosol was pleased to open its doors and welcome 19-year-old Khun Jannakron (Outlet Manager) and 28-year-old Khun May (Kitchen Manager) from the Urban Neighbours of Hope (UNOH) organisation to its Bakery Cafe to learn about restaurant management and basic food preparations skills. The happy pair spent a productive week in our kitchen learning first-hand from our skilled staff how to take orders, serve customers and prepare delicious, fresh food like salads and sandwiches, not to mention the perfect cup of coffee!

The two young entrepreneurs will soon manage their own cafe, Munjai (meaning ‘confidence’), in Bangkok’s underprivileged Klong Toey slum, which is home to 100,000 disadvantaged people living in just 2 sq.km of land. Their hope is to help raise the basic living standards of the local youth population (who might otherwise get involved with drugs, crime, unemployment, etc) by providing meaningful part-time employment and training opportunities. This lofty ambition is echoed in the cafe’s slogan: growing confidence with every cup. Other UNOH initiatives include a fair-trade handicraft co-operative, kids’ art/sport program and cooking school, out of which the book “Cooking With Poo” has become phenomenally successful, with renowned international chef Jamie Oliver and Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard being fans.

The cafe is set to launch in early January and will open Thursday to Sunday from 9:00am to 4:00pm; serving a range of Thai and Western dishes, along with homemade cakes and coffee. They will also provide special incentives – changing room, story time, playground, toys – for mothers and babies to stop by. More information can be found at www.facebook.com/MunjaiCafe. All staff and managers at The Sukosol wish them every success with their worthwhile endeavour.