Andy Ricker, a Portland, OR-carpenter-turned chef, who has brought “authentic” Thai food to America, holds a welcome dinner for participating LUCKYRICE Festival chefs at Saipin Chutima's Lotus of Siam in Las Vegas. The duo work together to create their collective version of a Northern Laab, a typical Issan dish that is spicy, tasty drinking food in Chiang Mai. Jet Tila, who is at the table, rhapsodizes about the days when his family opened America’s first Thai grocery store in Hollywood, CA, and brought ingredients like lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves to the American palate. We check out this legendary market, and pay a tribute at a local LA Thai temple, as Jet Tila travels to NYC to participate in LUCKYRICE’s annual James Beard House dinner, which this year focuses on Thai New Year (Songkram) prepared by Chef Jet along with a bevy of other Thai chefs including Pichet Ong and Hong Thaimee.