"Every Thai home will smell like jasmine rice," said Sara Tong-Ngork, gesturing to a rice cooker.

She grew up in Syracuse, but her father is from northeast Thailand, a place she’s thankful to have visited many times.

“As a family, we’ve gone. We always go make the rounds and visit the relatives," Tong-Ngork said. "And we make time to hit the beach of course.”

She’s cooking stir fried chicken and basil. It’s going to be her signature at Firecracker Thai in the Salt City Market when it opens to the public.

She learned how to make it from her mother and her time working at Lemongrass. To make it authentic, the prep starts before you step into the kitchen.

She shops at Vien Dong, an Asian grocery in the north side of Syracuse. These stores make for easier shopping, and bring Sara right back to her childhood.

“I’ve been coming here with my parents ever since I was little. As long as they’ve been in existence, I’ve been here," Tong-Ngork said. "And then as a chef, it was kind of like my hidden resource. Whenever I needed something Asian, I knew I could get it here.”

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Sara's father, Tee, was an early teacher for her.

“She’s going to have a good future as a chef," Tee said. "She wanted to cook when she was in middle school, and then she was making fried rice better than my wife.”

Those middle school days are fond memories for Tee and Sara, especially when he first taught her to flip a Thai omelette. It went exactly how you’d expect.

“Sometimes it ended up on the floor," Tee said with a smile. "Either that or all over the stove.”

Chicken Basil Stir fry is one of many dishes Sara is featuring in Firecracker Thai when the Salt City Market opens.