Pornwadee Garner was born and raised in Bangkok, Thailand, and has been cooking for forty–nine years. At the age of eight, Pornwadee’s grandmother recognized her talent as a chef, and began teaching her the family’s tradition of cooking. These first teaching began her lifelong career that encompasses more experience than most chefs could ever imagine. Her fifteen-year association with the Thai embassies in Japan, Thailand and Dubai, and Indonesia is only one example. In these kitchens, she prepared extravagant dinners for presidents, kings, queens, and dignitaries from around the world. After meeting and falling in love with her husband, she moved to the Pacific Northwest and continued her work by helping to open an authentic Thai restaurant in Seattle, Washington, with a friend from Thailand.
She moved to Eugene shortly after, where she helped establish Mekala’s Restaurant. At Mekala’s she met Joshua Keim, then a server. The two developed a strong friendship, and when Joshua decided to open a restaurant of his own, Pornwadee happily joined forces with him to create what is now Ring of Fire and the Lava Lounge.