Our Story

David N Boongullaya

Wild Roots Founder 

A passionate conservationist, educator, and storyteller, dedicated to connecting people with the natural world. From the forests of Thailand to the villages of Laos, David has spent years turning environmental challenges into opportunities for learning, creativity, and community action. Pioneering eco-bricks initiative, which transforms plastic waste into sustainable infrastructure, was recognized at COP28 (COP28 is the 28th annual United Nations Climate Change Conference), demonstrating the power of simple ideas to make a global impact.

He blends global insight with local action, inspiring communities to care for the environment while developing practical solutions. Leading countless projects with GIVE Volunteers, empowering children, youth, and adults to discover their role in protecting our planet. Through immersive workshops, hands-on activities, and innovative learning experiences, David has shown that every small action can ripple into meaningful change.

Beyond his conservation work, David draws on years of experience in education and international teamwork, having led English camps, youth programs, and cross-cultural volunteer initiatives. His teaching philosophy is simple but profound: learning is most powerful when it is experienced, shared, and felt in the heart as well as the mind.

At Wild Roots, David invites participants of all ages to explore, imagine, and create a world where people and nature thrive together. Whether building eco-bricks, observing wildlife, or uncovering the secrets of the forest, every activity is designed to spark curiosity, nurture responsibility, and ignite a lifelong love for the environment and English. 

David’s journey reminds us that change begins with care, curiosity, and courage, and he believes that by inspiring, even if it is one person at a time, together we can protect the earth for generations to come.

Tucked into the green folds of Ratchaburi, Lovan Garden feels less like a farm and more like a secret the earth has chosen to share. Fifty rai of orchards, sparkling ponds dotted with lilies, and the sun penetrating through shaded groves form a living green tapestry. Where the vegetables  are grown without chemicals, fruit trees lean into the wind, and pockets of forest hums and chirps with unseen wings and beaks.

The design is no accident. Rooted in Thailand’s “Khok Nong Na” model, invented by his royal Majesty the King Rama 9. The land is shaped to hold water, nurture soil, and welcome diversity. It is a place where agriculture is not an extraction, but rather a conversation. A dialogue between people, plants, and the wild things that return when given refuge. Mimicry of the natural world is their living philosophy. To understand and work with nature. 

Visitors are invited not merely to watch, but to step into the rhythm of the garden. To plant seedlings, to join in the age-old ritual of plowing rice, to feel the quiet pulse of the land beneath their hands. It is alive!

There’s a quiet honesty to the food at Lovan Kitchen. An unspoken understanding that what ends up on the plate began long before the flame. It starts in the soil, beneath the sun and rain of Ratchaburi, where ingredients grow not in haste, but in harmony.

Lovan Kitchen is not built on trends or technique alone, but on trust. Trust in the land, in the seasons, in the slow unfolding of real flavor. It’s a place where recipes don’t follow rules as much as they follow nature’s lead. Menus shift with the weather. Dishes evolve with what ripens. There is no need to import what the garden already provides.

The kitchen hums with rhythm. No rush, no pretense. Just cooks moving like gardeners. Attentive, grounded and generous. Fire crackles in the stove. Herbs gathered still wet with morning dew. Rice is steamed and all the intricate duties of keeping the place spotless is not for effect. No but because how sweet the things we call memories. Memories of past glories, of those who came before. Of dignity, of duty and while caring the biggest warmest smile. 

Eating here feels less like dining out and more like being invited in. You’re not a customer; you’re a guest at a table shaped by tradition and care. The flavors are layered, but never loud. Not dressed to impress, everything is served to nourish the body. Yes, but also something subtler. The nourishment of the soul. "Just like grandpapas use to make it" they say.

Workshops and shared meals open a window into this slower, older way of cooking. You might learn to press coconut milk by hand, or roast chilies over an open flame. These aren’t just tasks to feed the masses, they are ways of remembering.

At Lovan Kitchen, food isn’t a product. It’s a relationship with the land, with the past, with the people who still believe that good things take time.

And here, they do.