Jedsica (Jessica) Adthasangsri
by Dr. Iain Corness
Jessica Adthasangsri is a beautiful young Thai woman who is the manager
in the Casa Pascal Restaurant, and who has had her eyes firmly fixed on
her future. She describes her life as a series of challenges, “I want to
move on (up) more and more. I want to reach that star, so I have to do
it (meet the challenge) whatever the cost.”
Jessica is a local lass, born and bred in Pattaya. Her father is a
building sub-contractor, while her mother stayed at home to look after
Jessica and her two younger sisters. Her education was through the Thai
public system, beginning with primary school in Nern Plub Wan, and then
going through to secondary school in Banglamung.
Even at that stage in her life, she began to show a very strong
independent streak. She changed to Catholicism from her parent’s
Buddhism, feeling personally that she was losing faith in the religion
of her birth. This was done after consultation between the young
teenager and her parents, who she says have always backed her. “They
always have supported me. My parents treated me ‘farang’ style, not Thai
style.”
Her parents also agreed to her changing to the Sattahip Technical and
Commercial College. By this change, she would be able to join the
workforce sooner than she would have, if she had gone all the way
through secondary school, and then go on to tertiary education. “I
wanted to be independent, so that I would not have to ask my parents for
everything.”
While studying in Sattahip she also worked as a part-time waitress in a
Pizza Hut outlet. This position also gave her more opportunities to
practice a subject that she really enjoyed – the English language. She
had found her interest in English very early, and used to go to bed with
an English dictionary under her pillow. “I was learning word by word.”
After graduating from the Sattahip College, she went to work full time
for Pizza Hut, earning her own money, and learning spoken English from
the customers.
However, it was not long before she had moved one step higher, and
closer to her star, when she joined the Royal Garden Resort (now the
Pattaya Marriott Resort and Spa) as a waitress in the lobby bar. She was
19 years old. She had never mixed a cocktail in her life and her
supervisor gave her a very large cocktail recipe book, saying that if
she managed to remember the recipes she would be upgraded to become a
bartender. She was given one month. “I tried to memorize the recipes,
and I showed them that I could do that.”
Her abilities were being noticed by management and her responsibilities
(and ability to take responsibility) began to increase. She was seconded
to the outside catering team, and it was on one of these events that she
met a woman who owned a pub and restaurant in Bang Saen.
The offer of becoming a manager looked like another rung on the ladder,
but it was not to be as satisfying as she had hoped. Bang Saen is a Thai
resort, and her English skills were not needed. She also had no days
off, and she missed her family in Pattaya. “It was hard work, but I
learned something new.” Jessica was definitely showing she had a very
positive attitude to life!
Probably through her church, Jessica knew many Filipinos in Pattaya who
suggested she take a year off and come with them to the Philippines and
work as a backing singer for a group! She took it, even though this was
a complete change of direction, and typical of the positive Jessica, she
found another advantage, “I learned more English in the Philippines!”
After 12 months she returned to the hospitality industry and Pattaya.
“Singing was not my way,” (even if it was Frank Sinatra’s!).
She took the first waitress position offered, and suddenly found that
some restaurants were not equal opportunity employers. “Women were given
no responsibility. We were expected to just clean the tables, so I left
after three months.” Keeping a self-made person like Jessica under such
restrictions was far too stultifying.
Since she was still devouring English dictionaries, and English language
newspapers, she saw an advertisement in the Pattaya Mail for staff in
the Casa Pascal Restaurant. She was offered the post as a junior
waitress. “I did not know what ‘fine dining’ meant. But I wanted to find
out. I didn’t know the differences between red and white wine glasses,
or how to decant wine. It was tough for that first two weeks.”
It was at that precise point that Kim and Pascal Schnyder became guiding
lights for her. “Chef Pascal pushed me, saying if you believe in
yourself, don’t give up.” In fact, later in the interview Jessica said,
“Casa Pascal is my ‘home’. Kim and Pascal are like my second mother and
father.”
She did believe in herself, and she didn’t give up. “Every day we would
have question time, and if there were 10 questions, I would get 10 new
items of knowledge.”
“It took me six months to understand fine dining. It is much more than
eat, drink and go. Everything has to be 100 percent perfect to make the
customer want to come back.”
And now she is the manager. Another rung on the ladder to success, and
one that she has taken in her stride. “I have to work with the kitchen
staff as well as the service. I have to find the balance.”
Jessica is delightful, but before you make your booking at Casa Pascal
to try and win the hand of this remarkable young woman, I have some bad
news. She is engaged to be married, with her future husband proposing to
her at Casa Pascal on New Year’s Eve. “We will have the reception here
too,” said the radiant Jessica.
Jessica Adthasangsri deserves all the happiness in the world. She has
worked hard for it.
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