Celebrate International Women’s Day 2022 at these fine dining restaurants that are helmed by the most brilliant female chefs.
Thailand’s culinary scene is seeing a growing number of accomplished female chefs who have made their way in a male-dominated field. Here are our five picks of restaurants in Bangkok that are run by strong and inspiring women. Book a table at any of these spots this International Women’s Day 2022.
Baan Tepa
The first winner of Top Chef Thailand, Chef Chudaree ‘Tam’ Debhakam is one of the few (yet growing) number of chefs in Thailand who are dead serious about the concept of seasonal farm-to-table eating. After working at Blue Hill at Stone Barns in New York for a few years, Chef Tam opened Baan Tepa, a culinary space that grows and sources its own ingredients. Driven by the concept of authenticity of food, the restaurant sources seasonal ingredients from everywhere in Thailand while also minding the food waste it produces.
Potong
Born into a Chinese family in Thailand, Chef Pichaya ‘Pam’ Utharntharm transformed her family’s old shophouse in Yaowarat into a progressive Thai-Chinese restaurant. Chef Pam’s tasting menus centre around the concept of memories and are cooked under the philosophy of ‘5 Elements’ – Salt, Acid, Spice, Texture, and Maillard Reaction. Inside the beautiful Sino-Portuguese building of Potong, guests are invited to formulate new memories together with the culinary creations of the chef.
Paste
Paste is run by husband-and-wife chefs Bee Satongun and Jason Bailey. In order to serve the most authentic time-honoured recipes, Chef Bee travelled all around Thailand to search for the rarest ingredients to be used in the heirloom recipes. The restaurant’s fusion of traditional and modern techniques has earned Paste a place in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2021 as well as a Michelin star for 5 consecutive years.
Gaa
Located in a renovated traditional Thai house, Gaa serves modern Indian delicacies based on local ingredients found here in Thailand. Chef Garima Arora has combined her work experience at several restaurants, including Gaggan, to come up with seasonal course menus that change every 3 months. Among the many accomplishments of Gaa, it is worth noting that Chef Garima Arora became the first Indian female chef to earn a Michelin star at the shy age of 32, which has since encouraged her to keep pursuing her mission to reform the narrative of Indian cuisine.
Saawaan
After years of working with several award-winning chefs, Chef Sujira ‘Aom’ Pongmorn finally opened her own restaurant and earned herself a Michelin star at Saawaan. Together with Pastry Chef Arisara ‘Paper’ Chongphanitkul, the chef duo creates seasonal menus that aim to form their very own Thai cooking legacy. The dishes are prepared under common Thai cooking techniques; some are served raw, fermented, stir-fried, grilled, and boiled to name a few.