Pok Pok Som

Portland, Oregon

Andy Ricker started out as most chefs do: a teenage dishwasher. But, unlike a lot chefs, he went from small Vermont restaurants to backpacking around the world for years. He worked at a number of restaurants in New Zealand, Australia, Europe, but spent most of his time in Thailand. After four years of living in Thailand and falling in love with Thai cuisine and culture Andy decided to bring back the flavors to his new home Portland, Oregon. He opened is first Pok Pok restaurant in 2005, then just serving Thai style roast chicken. Andy is now an established champion of Thai cuisine, owning three restaurants in Portland, and two in New York, plus his Whiskey Soda Lounge. 

Som Thai Drinking Vinegars are served at all Pok Pok restaurants both diluted with soda water as a soft drink and at full strength as a mixer in several of their house cocktails.

Drinking vinegar for health reasons is an age old practice in many cultures around the world including here in the USA, dating back to colonial times when "shrubs" were a common tonic.