Pichaya "Pam" Soontornyanakij
Affiliation
Potong
Progressive Thai-Chinese cuisine via 20-course tasting menu reflecting five elements: salt, acid, spice, Maillard reaction, texture
i. Biography
Pichaya 'Pam' Soontornyanakij is the owner and head chef of Potong, a Michelin-starred Thai-Chinese fine-dining restaurant in Bangkok's Chinatown, opened in 2021 in her family's 120-year-old historic building. Born in 1989, she studied communication arts at Chulalongkorn University before training at Le Cordon Bleu Dusit and the Culinary Institute of America, and staging at Jean-Georges in New York. Potong debuted at No.35 on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2023, ranked No.13 on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2025, and she became Asia’s Best Female Chef 2024 and the first Asian recipient of The World’s Best Female Chef 2025.
The Archive
Selected Works & Focus Areas
Focus 01
Progressive Thai-Chinese cuisine via 20-course tasting menu reflecting five elements: salt, acid, spice, Maillard reaction, texture
Focus 02
Empowering women in culinary industry via Women for Women scholarship program