Origin Story (Full Color Edition)
by Arjaree
Travel to Thailand with your kids—without setting foot in an airport.
This Full Color Edition features vibrant, full-page color illustrations desgined to bring Teri's journey in Thailand to life.
Nineteen-year-old Teriyaki—Teri for short—has just finished her first year of college. On the surface, she’s done everything she thought she was supposed to do. But one quiet morning in her family’s Carlsbad kitchen, surrounded by the familiar sounds of cooking and conversation, Teri realizes something important: she’s standing at the edge of a much bigger world.
With her mother’s encouragement, her father’s thoughtful advice, and the lively presence of her brothers, Teri packs one suitcase, one passport, and a notebook full of curiosity. Her destination is Thailand—the country where her mother was born, and where Teri’s journey into food, culture, and identity truly begins.
From bustling city streets to warm family kitchens, Origin Story invites readers to experience Thailand through all five senses. Along the way, Teri learns that travel is more than sightseeing. It’s about listening, asking questions, honoring where you come from, and discovering who you might become.
Woven gently throughout the story are moments of conversational Thai language, cultural traditions, and everyday details that help young readers absorb learning naturally—without ever feeling like a lesson. This is teaching without teaching, exploration without pressure, and storytelling rooted in family connection.
This Full Color Edition is thoughtfully designed for comfortable reading, classroom use, and family sharing. The illustrations are rich in contrast and atmosphere, allowing readers to imagine color through story and memory—just as travelers do when they carry a place with them long after returning home.
Origin Story is the beginning of the Where in the World Is Chef Teriyaki? series—a collection of books created to inspire curiosity about the world, traditions that build understanding across cultures and heritage, and a love of reading grounded in real places and real family bonds.
Readers who enjoy Teri’s first journey may also discover where her story began in Dorm Diaries: Finding Her Constellation, and where it will continue next—somewhere new, somewhere unexpected.
This book is for:
Families who want meaningful, screen-free adventures
Educators looking for stories that blend culture, geography, and heart
Young readers curious about the world and their place in it
Anyone who believes stories can be passports
Welcome to Teri’s world.
Your journey begins here.
By Arjaree is a place for stories that travel. Inspired by family, culture, and real-life experiences, these books are written to spark curiosity, encourage learning, and connect generations — one page, one kitchen table, one conversation at a time.
Arjaree is an educator, home chef, and storyteller who writes stories rooted in family, culture, and everyday moments that quietly shape who we become. Inspired by her Thai heritage, her children, and a lifelong love of learning through food and travel, she creates books that invite readers of all ages to explore the world with curiosity and heart. Her work spans fiction and nonfiction, blending real places, real traditions, and real questions about identity, belonging, and growth. Whether she’s guiding young readers through international adventures, helping families learn through cooking, or sharing practical wisdom through humor and storytelling, Arjaree’s voice is grounded, thoughtful, and deeply human. She lives in Carlsbad, California, where her books often begin their journeys—traveling from family to family, classroom to classroom, and community bookshelf to community bookshelf.
