Thai Food Festival: Delicious bites, noted chefs, plenty of culture

The first annual Thai Food Festival was held at Paramount Picture Studios.   (Clarissa Wei / For The Times)

Barbecue pork with rice paired with a tongue-numbing dry curry chicken from Jazz and her team at Jitlada. Jitlada represents Southern Thai food.  (Clarissa Wei / For The Times)

Fresh flower arrangements were made on-site and handed out.   (Clarissa Wei / For The Times)

Barbecue pork with rice paired with a tongue-numbing dry curry chicken from Jazz and her team at Jitlada. Jitlada represents Southern Thai food.  (Clarissa Wei / For The Times)

N.T.W. Import and Export handed out mangosteens, durian and rambutans --- all fruits native to Southeast Asia.   (Clarissa Wei / For The Times)

Hosted by Jet Tila and in partnership with the Thai Trade Center, the Thai Food Fest was the first of its kind in Los Angeles.   (Clarissa Wei / For The Times)

Ruen Pair Thai represented Northeastern Thai cuisine with their green papaya salad and grilled pork.   (Clarissa Wei / For The Times)

Andy Ricker from Portland and New York’s Pok Pok brought over suki haeng. Thai stir-fried glass noodles mixed with napa, sprouts, carrot, water spinach, Chinese celery, tofu and egg topped with a light, chili-beancurd sukiyaki sauce.   (Clarissa Wei / For The Times)

Smoked beef tongue with compressed cucumber, lettuce soup and a crisp tomato from Lukshon.  (Clarissa Wei / For The Times)

Chef Sang Yoon stuck around the entire time to work his Lukshon booth.   (Clarissa Wei / For The Times)

A shrimp cocktail from Culver City-based seafood distributor Rubicon Resources. Garnished with green papaya, herbs, sweet chili, sprouts and Thai basil oil.   (Clarissa Wei / For The Times)

Bamee yok, or jade noodles, accompanied with barbecue pork, dried garlic and minced crabmeat from Sapp Coffee Shop.   (Clarissa Wei / For The Times)

Fatty pork leg over rice with pickled vegetables and a braised egg from Siam Sunset. Seasoned with a sweet and sour chili sauce.   (Clarissa Wei / For The Times)

Thai Nakorn’s yum nua -- a refreshing beef salad with cucumber, lettuce and red onions paired with a spicy chili sauce.   (Clarissa Wei / For The Times)

Tangy koi tuna ceviche on a crispy rice cracker from Night + Market.   (Clarissa Wei / For The Times)