“I can keep my team laughing all day,” says Chef Panita Davison of White Truffle Catering, preparing meals to donate to Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake, one of her many community engagements. “Clients may be surprised at my comedic side!” Growing up in the family restaurant business in a seaside town in Thailand, Panita’s humor and people skills came as naturally as her feel for fantastic food. “It amused people to see a 6-year-old haggling with market vendors,” she laughs. “But mother never hesitated to send me back if items didn’t meet her standards.”
Panita arrived in the US to pursue a master’s degree in accounting, but eventually heeded the culinary call, “my true passion.” At the Culinary Institute of America, Panita picked up a Thomas Keller Award as one of the world’s Most Promising Future Chefs, along with a love for French cuisine, “the foundation of Western gourmet dishes,” she states.
She gravitated to New Orleans, learning firsthand from chefs at the Ritz and world-renowned Brennans before a visit to Park City drew her to mountain life, where our healthy, active lifestyle and sense of community convinced her to stay. “It’s like my seaside hometown in Thailand,” she says. “Everyone is so supportive.” Always ready to give back, Panita and White Truffle are set for the silent auction at Jans Winter Welcome on October 26 at Stein Eriksen, offering an in-home dinner for eight, a cooking class for six, and a hor d’oeuvre reception for 30. “Sharing with friends makes Park City the ideal place to call home,” she smiles.
Growing her own vegetables and herbs reflects Panita’s approach to the kitchen and to life. “Food is nutrition for the soul,” she states. “It can heal, comfort, create community, pass culture across generations and make memories that become the essence of who we are.”
“Every time I cook, I am expressing friendship and love.”