The inspiration began in Thailand. As Tarit Tanjasiri explained in an interview with The OC Weekly, his father, a banker and farmer, would seek out only the best ingredients when cooking—a piece of culinary wisdom later echoed by Mr. Tanjasiri’s mentor and friend, Chef Patrick Jamon. “When you start with the best ingredients,” Mr. Tanjasiri said, “your chances of messing up goes down tremendously.”

At his Seal Beach, CA restaurant The Crema Café, Tarit Tanjasiri ’82 has been baking and cooking with passion for eight years. Read the full, two-part interview by Anne Marie Panoringan for the On the Line blog series, here and here.