Chef Pam, the best in Asia: “The old school doesn’t work anymore”

She has just been named the best chef in Asia of 2024 for what are known as the culinary “Oscars” (50 Best) and chef Pam, at the helm of the restaurant “Potong” in Bangkok’s Chinatown, its mission is clear after the recognition: to serve as “inspiration” showing that you can lead between the stoves in a way “compassionate.”

“I’m not an aggressive chef, I feel like people can make mistakes and you have to teach them the right way. Being compassionate in the kitchen is important, and especially today with the new generations the old method no longer works”chef Pichaya “Pam” Soontornyanakij tells EFE from her restaurant, located in the building that housed the family pharmacy.

Sitting in one of the restaurant’s rooms, in a majestic five-story building built by her family more than a century ago, the cook – who will collect the award for best chef in Asia from 50 Best tomorrow in Seoul – is convinced That the “compassion” It is the best ingredient in your kitchen.

“Now otherwise people would resign… In this industry it is very difficult to find employees, so being compassionate and treating the team like family is very important to me”reasons Soontornyanakij.

At 34 years old, the Thai chef of Chinese descent, trained at the Jean-George’s restaurant in New York (3 Michelin stars), has only achieved success since she opened “Potong” (“Simple”, in Mandarin) in 2021, then debuting on the list of the 50 best restaurants in Asia and achieving its first Michelin star last year.

For the Thai woman, the awards are “always something good, because they recognize hard work and dedication”and explains why for her the fact of receiving the award for the best female chef, and not the best chef in general, is not a discredit.

“Maybe in 50 years, when there is a real balance in the representation of men and women in the culinary world, then we (women) won’t need a special category. But now we have to admit that there are not enough female chefs, and I think this award can inspire many young girls,” argues.

“I am a very positive person and I think this is good. “I am very honored.”emphasizes,

Leading a team of 60 people, Soontornyanakij is motivated to show “how a female chef leads. People might think we can’t work long hours, or carry heavy weight, or that it’s a different energy in the kitchen.”

“I want it to be seen that women can lead in a different way. It doesn’t have to be right or wrong, but it can be different and be successful.” asserts the chef, who initially got used to working long hours and “don’t think about the holidays.”

A beginning that she also remembers with affection, surrounded, as she says, by “professionalism” and from a passion that in his case was born many years before putting on the chef’s jacket: it was when he went with his mother to the market in Bangkok to buy ingredients or watch her cook for her family.

“She is a passionate cook. And my passion started there”, indica, although it took her a few years to start studying cooking full-time. “When she was little she didn’t know it could be a profession.”she says, and tells how her mother encouraged her to train when she realized that it was her vocation.

Thus, the family essence is not only found in the walls of “Potong”, where her great-great-grandfather began selling traditional Chinese medicine, but also in the dishes that the chef cooks, Thai-Chinese food with centuries of tradition, but which she likes to incorporate “surprise elements”.

Consequently, the best compliment someone can give you is not that your food is “the most delicious.” “What makes me happiest is when a client tells me that my family should be proud.”“, he tells EFE, and shares his next ambition: for the restaurant to be known outside his country.

“I want Potong to be a must-visit for anyone who comes to Thailand. And for this we will continue to improve.”

It may interest you