Andy Ricker, a carpenter-turned-chef from Portland, OR, prepares a welcome dinner for the participating chefs at LA’s Lotus of Siam restaurant, with chef/owner Saipin Chutima at the helm. The duo create their collective version of a spicy Issan dish. At the table, Jet Tila rhapsodizes about the days when his family opened America’s first Thai grocery store in Hollywood and introduced lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and other ingredients to the American palate.