Today we’d like to introduce you to Jaree.
Hi Jaree, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Hi, I’m Chef Jaree, the owner of Buranko. I was born and raised in Bangkok, Thailand—a country known for having some of the best food in the world. After finishing high school in Bangkok, I earned a patisserie diploma at Le Cordon Bleu in Portland. After graduating, I helped with my family’s food cart business for a few years, but soon realized I was capable of doing much more.
After meeting my husband, Kris, who already owned a Thai restaurant, I joined him to help operate the business using my culinary education and family experience. I told him I could cook anything as long as I had the right ingredients, so I didn’t want to limit us to just traditional Thai food, which you can find on every corner in Portland.
Instead, I wanted to create something more unique and fun: Asian fusion comfort food. Inspired by my love for Southeast Asian cuisine, my goal was to offer comforting, healthy, and flavorful dishes that keep people coming back every day. That vision is how Buranko was built. Our menu features Japanese, Thai, Chinese, and Korean influences—ranging from Pad Thai and Galbi to Poke—all made using our own unique recipes.
What truly sets us apart is our balance of offerings: we have a full bar alongside a designated kid’s zone. Parents can relax, enjoy our selection of fine wines, local craft beers, or cocktails, and finish their meal while knowing their children are safe and entertained in the play area right next to them.
We opened Buranko in 2019, right before the pandemic. It has never been easy, and we invested all our savings to build this business. As we mark our 6th year of operation, we remain committed to serving great food to the Portland community and hope to expand to more locations in the near future.
Chef Jaree
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Ofcourse not. I’am sure all restaurants have their ups and downs so do we. The worst time was probably during the covid. We just opened so no one actually knew about us. It was very difficult to promote the restaurant because no matter how much we did the marketing it never worked out. We’re no name. People did not discover us and they were all scared to visit Downtown. Plus we had to board the whole restaurant because we got broken in almost once a month and that is still our trauma. Downtown was literally a zombie town.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Im operating Buranko for 6 years now. I have my talented team who are ready to ride or die with me. Im proud of them but im proud if myself more to be able to find them and secure them with me this long. I always belive my guts, my first impression, first 30 seconds of my feeling when i feel good about someone or something.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I’m a pianist, Im also a singer, a diva. Im beyond good at singing. I cover a lot of whitney Houston’s and Celine Dion’s. When i said i graduated my high scholl in Bangkok, it was actually a college of music and i majored in piano performance.
Pricing:
- Kid’s menu $10 (many optiom includes vegan)
- Spicy Seoul Chicken Bowl $18
- Classic Thai Fried Rice $17
- Shrimp Tomkha Ramen $18
- Kare( Japanese curry with chicken katsu) $18
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.burankocafe.com
- Instagram: burankocafe
