There is a restaurant in High Point, North Carolina that has been a source of pleasure for us for hundreds of meals. I’m talking about Thai Chiang Mai a.k.a. “the Thai restaurant” on Main Street? For many years this was the only Thai restaurant in the area and pretty much introduced Thai cuisine to the Triad. Owner James Sourisak and Scott quickly bonded as Scott was there on opening day and became a regular during market weeks. When we moved to High Point in 2006 we hung out with James and his wife Mary and her sister Tu and brother in law Todd at their restaurant every week. Scott often gathered the troops for lunch or dinner there.

The secret to Thai Chiang Mai’s success has as much to do with their stage for live music performances karaoke singalongs, and guitar jams headed up by James who is just as skilled on stringed instruments as he is in the kitchen. Singer Fred Reyes, shown here with us, brought tears and smiles to our eyes many times with his soulful songs about love ‘n’ stuff. Scott frequently sang scat songs that he made up on the spot. The week of Fall 2012 market when he got the bad news he spontaneously performed a song by that name. Many of Scott ‘s friends and even some of his family found out about his passion for songwriting and singing only recently. With his many skills and talents, I always felt my Prince of Goa truly embodied the definition of a modern day Renaissance Man. Thai Chiang Mai could be thought of as one of Scott’s salons where he would bring thinkers and creators together for stimulating conversation. And spontaneous song. And great food. Thank you James for the great times.