Muantae : Chiang Mai, Thailand - Gunter

Gunter Dingeldein’s typical day starts when he is awoken by a delivery man shouting, “Moo ma laew” (the pork meat has arrived), between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. each day of the week. Assisted by a staff of some 20 family members, close relatives and neighbours, Gunter and his wife, Suprai, personally manage and operate G&M German Sausages in Doi Saket, Chiang Mai, which is a restaurant as well as a sausage factory. Weekly, Gunter produces and markets 5,000 kilograms of over 50 variations of German sausages, bacons, hams and salamis.

Born in Reichelsheim inn Odenwald near Frankfurt, Germany, Gunter Dingeldein married Suprai, a native of San Kamphaeng, Chiang Mai, Thailand, 17 years ago. After spending their first 5 years of marriage in Germany, they have been living in Chiang Mai ever since. Gunter obtained his “Meisterbrief” degree in the art of sausage-making in Frankfurt in 1983, while Suprai has a degree in Marketing.

The Dingeldeins combined their talents and experiences to open G&M German Sausages 13 years ago. From a very modest 3 table-restaurant and some very hesitant initial years, Gunter and Suprai are now extremely busy being very hands-on with their thriving restaurant and sausages enterprise.

Suprai related that “Gunter watches very closely the quality and consistency of the sausages and other products, but he has well trained our core staff so that the correct dosages and recipes are religiously adhered to, with or without his physical presence. Five thousand kilograms a week is a lot but not all is marketed under our brand, and we give our middlemen much leverage. We have our own delivery system which daily fills orders from many major local supermarkets, grocery stores, and restaurants in Chiang Mai. Our orders also come from as far as Koh Samui and the Villa Supermarkets in Bangkok.”

Gunter added that “the secret of our success is simple enough: I insist on only the cleanest and freshest quality of pork meat in the country, and the slaughterhouses are right here in San Kamphaeng and Mae Jo”.

With the Muantae team, I had the opportunity to sample many of the restaurant favourites, as recommended by the owners, and came away not disappointed by ordering Menu No. 013 - Mixed sausages with French fries, No. 014 – Haxen (deep fried pork leg) with mashed potatoes and sauerkraut. We also ordered the potato soup served with a German bun, the egg salad, the fried potatoes, and the ham served with fresh and canned asparaguses on a white sauce. The menu was extensive, predominantly highlighting the German cuisine though a few Thai dishes are also featured. The portions were plentiful and the quality as delicious as expected. Prices are very moderate, ranging from 35 to 150 baht. Popular Thai and German beers are offered.

Asked what the name of the restaurant stands for, Gunter and Suprai answered with infectious smiles that “G is for Gunter and M is for our 3 children as their names all start with the letter M. Mintra, our eldest daughter is 15, Metichai our only boy 10, and our baby girl Melanie is 9. Our children are educated in Thai schools. To widen their education, the children are sent to spend their yearly school holidays with Gunter’s family members in Germany.”

When Gunter and Suprai decided to come back to Thailand from Germany, it was their dream to start a German sausage business, establish themselves a reputation, and promote employment and develop job skills within their own community by teaching relatives and neighbours in the art of sausage making. Having met this extremely outgoing and hospitable Dingeldein husband and wife team, and watched them inter-relate with peers and clients, it is easy to understand why they are successful…each seems to have taken the best of the other’s culture.

The G&M German Sausages Restaurant is a leisurely 45 minutes drive through the pleasant Chiang Mai - San Kamphaeng rice paddies countryside. Give yourself plenty of time as first timers will invariably lose their way. Don’t be shy to be repeating your calls for directions.

G&M German Sausage

103/1 Moo 4, Muangton, Doi Saket, Chiang Mai.

Tel.: (053) 840 531

Fax: (053) 965 352

The hours are from 8a.m. - 9 p.m. everyday. Sunday buffet 10a.m. – 4 p.m.