Bangkok – In a landmark moment for global gastronomy, Pichaya Soontornyanakij, widely celebrated as Chef Pam, has been awarded The World’s Best Female Chef Award for 2025. This accolade, voted for by a global academy of 1,120 culinary experts, marks the first time an Asian chef has received the honour in its 14-year history. The announcement celebrates her influential contributions to the international culinary scene and her innovative approach to Thai-Chinese cuisine.
The award is the culmination of a rapid ascent for Chef Pam, whose Bangkok restaurant, Potong, has garnered significant international attention in less than five years. Her recognition as Asia’s Best Female Chef in 2024 foreshadowed this latest, ultimate accolade. Potong itself has received high praise, ranking 13th in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2025 and 57th in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2024.
Culinary Roots and a Historic Setting
Chef Pam’s journey to the pinnacle of global cuisine is built on nearly 15 years of dedicated work and sacrifice. Originally training to be a journalist, she transitioned to cooking, winning a young chef award at just 21. Her formal culinary education took her to the Culinary Institute of America in New York, where she further refined her skills under the tutelage of renowned chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten.
Upon returning to Thailand, she quickly established herself, becoming a judge on “Top Chef Thailand” and co-founding The X Project hospitality group with her husband and business partner, Tor Boonpiti. This group operates various concepts across Bangkok, including the successful Smoked restaurant and Opium Bar.
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The location of Potong is as steeped in history as its menu is in personal storytelling. In 2019, Chef Pam found the perfect setting for her vision when her family’s 120-year-old Chinese herbal pharmacy building became vacant. Together with her husband, she undertook an extensive renovation to transform the multi-storey building in Bangkok’s Chinatown into a unique culinary destination.
A Menu of Memories and Five Senses
Potong’s tasting menu is a deeply personal exploration of Chef Pam’s family heritage. Across some 20 courses of progressive Thai-Chinese cuisine, she weaves stories of her unique background. Her signature fragrant roast duck dish is a highlight of this sensory journey. The dining experience itself is designed to engage all five senses, unfolding across different floors of the historic building, aiming to evoke and create multiple memories for diners. The restaurant’s name, meaning ‘simple’, pays homage to her family’s long-standing ties to traditional Chinese medicine.
William Drew, director of content for the World’s 50 Best Restaurants, lauded her achievements: “It is an absolute privilege to announce chef Pam as the recipient of The World’s Best Female Chef Award 2025. She creates exceptional, innovative dishes, weaving cultural stories through food while pushing the boundaries of culinary tradition. Her visionary approach to gastronomy and her influential role in the Thai culinary scene and beyond makes her more than deserving of this recognition on an international level.”
Empowering Future Generations
Still only 35, Chef Pam is already committed to fostering the next generation of culinary talent. In 2024, she co-created the Women for Women (WFW) Scholarship and Internship Programme. This initiative provides a full-financial-backed culinary internship at Potong to one young woman each year from an underprivileged, rural Thai background.
Chef Pam expressed her profound gratitude for the honour: “I’m truly honoured to be named the world’s best female chef 2025 and humbled to be the first Thai to join the remarkable women who have paved the way before me. This award highlights the importance of recognising women’s invaluable contributions to the culinary world. It’s not just for me, but for every other female chef who may contribute to the global appreciation of Thai cuisine. Above all, I hope it inspires the next generation of female chefs to pursue their culinary dreams.”
With this global platform, Chef Pam is poised to inspire not only aspiring chefs but also home cooks and discerning diners worldwide, further elevating the appreciation for Thai cuisine on an international level.
