Nok Suntaranon

Chutatip “Nok” Suntaranon is a James Beard Foundation Award-winning chef, restaurateur and author of Kalaya’s Southern Thai Kitchen, debuting  November 5, 2024. A flight attendant from Trang, Thailand, Nok entered her second act at age 50 by opening Kalaya, one of the country’s highest-regarded Thai restaurants, named after Nok’s mother. Opened in April 2019 as a small BYOB in South Philadelphia, Kalaya was named one of Esquire's and Food & Wine’s “Best New Restaurants” and was a James Beard Foundation Award nominee for “Best New Restaurant” in 2020. In November 2022, Kalaya relocated to Philadelphia's Fishtown neighborhood with a larger footprint and bar program. Nok’s notoriously impeccable style has been featured in New York Magazine and Philadelphia Style Magazine; she was also named one of the “Most Influential Philadelphians” by Philadelphia Magazine in 2023 and 2024.  Nok’s TV appearances include the Philadelphia episode of Netflix’s Somebody Feed Phil in 2021, and in 2024 a dedicated Season 7 episode on Netflix’s Emmy-nominated Chef’s Table.