Ann Redding likes to keep things simple. She likes to stick to tradition.
Redding, a Thai native, is the chef and co-owner of Uncle Boons in New York City.
Born in Ubon, Redding and her family moved stateside to Maryland when she was 10 years old. Her Thai roots still run deep. “Every family member had their recipe or their little tidbit. Cooking to me has always been apart of who I am and what I did.”
Redding originally worked in the fashion industry when first moved to New York. “I remember now looking back and sitting at my desk and I would look up recipes. [Food] was something that was always there. It took me a little bit to realize it.”
Switching gears, Redding dove into the world of fine dining. It proved fate, as she met her husband, chef and co-owner, Matt Danzer, while working at Per Se. The two shared a common bond: to own their own restaurant.
“When Matt and I finally started dating, the first business that we ended up opening together was a small mom-and-pop grocery shop on Shelter Island,” Redding says. The two would spend the off-season in Thailand, getting to know Redding’s family and planning their ultimate future together.
“I fell in love with the culture and the cuisine, and we started really talking about getting serious and doing this,” says Danzer. Redding agreed wholeheartedly: “This is what we should be doing.”
Uncle Boons opened in 2013, offering Thai food through a unique lens. “I’m half Thai, [...] but I’m also half American,” Redding says. “So the food kind of naturally straddles both. Even though we might play with some technique and some plating, when you close your eyes and eat the dish, I want it to taste just like a dish that you would have in Thailand.”
Uncle Boons received its first Michelin star in the 2016 guide. “It was a complete shock,” says Redding. “I didn’t think the food that we were doing would even be considered for a Michelin star.”
“We feel that pressure to continue to raise the bar,” adds Danzer. “How do we surprise people? I think that’s what keeps us going.”
Last year, the duo opened the fast-casual Uncle Boons Sister, offering some of the less expensive dishes that diners commonly associate with Thai food, but with the same big, bold flavors used at the flagship.
“Having a restaurant that serves Thai food where you do make everything really makes me appreciate how much work goes into Thai food,” adds Redding, “and how much love and how much passion and soul you really do have to have to do this food right.”
Watch the story of Uncle Boons in the video below.
