Naman Shrestha
Created by David Gelb, the long-running cooking documentary show ‘Chef’s Table’ introduces us to some of the most renowned chefs across the world in each season. In the seventh volume, the Netflix series features a bunch of accomplished culinary masters who share personal stories and unique delicacies created by them. One of the chefs who makes an appearance in season 7 of the show is Chutatip “Nok” Suntaranon.
Nok Suntaranon Took Great Pride on Being Featured in the Cooking Documentary
Hailing from Trang, Thailand, Chutatip “Nok” Suntaranon introduces bold and authentic Thai flavors to the masses through her restaurant called Kalaya, which is named after her beloved mother. Formerly a flight attendant, Nok also gives traditional Southern Thai cuisine a twist of her own, further pushing the boundaries. Her culinary skills and knowledge about her art are displayed accurately in the Netflix production. In an interview with The Philadelphia Inquirer, Nok calls her appearance in the ‘Chef’s Table’ a validation of her success. She said, “It’s a big documentary, and it’s going to last forever. Anytime people talk about Kalaya, they can look us up; they know who we are because we are up there together with so many world-renowned chefs — and I (don’t) even consider myself a chef.”
Nok Suntaranon Runs an Award-Winning Thai Restaurant Today
Growing up, Nok Suntaranon spent time in her hometown, Trang, Thailand, and in Bangkok, where she went to school. As for her culinary education, she got it from the first-class cabin of Thai Airways, where she worked as a flight attendant from 1994. On the side, she reportedly also ferried Hermès Birkin bags to Asia from different destinations. Before establishing one of the highest-regarded Thai restaurants in the country, Kalaya, in 2019 at the age of 50, Chutatip “Nok” Suntaranon was a flight attendant, as mentioned above. Although Kalaya started out as a small BYOB establishment situated in South Philadelphia, it managed to cement its place in the food scene of the city. It was named Esquire’s Best New Restaurant in America and earned its place in Food & Wine magazine in 2020 as one of the best in the nation.
In the same year, the restaurant earned a James Beard Award Nominee for Best New Restaurant. After receiving appreciation and acclaim from critics for three and a half years, Kalaya was then moved to a larger space in the Fishtown neighborhood in November 2022 to meet the high demands and large footprints of the business. Within a year or so, Kalaya was not only included in The New York Times in their Top-50 Restaurants list for 2023, but it also earned Nok the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic in 2023. According to reports, the Thai restaurant gives its customers access to the recipes and delicacies that Chef Nok learned and ate while growing up with her mother, who used to sell curry paste in food markets in Trang, Thailand.
In December 2023, the food critic Craig LaBan also named Kalaya as the Restaurant of the Year in Philadelphia for 2023. Besides being a celebrated Thai chef, Nok Suntaranon is also a published author of a cookbook called ‘Kalaya’s Southern Thai Kitchen.’ Published in November 2024, the book had been in the making for four years, since October 2020, even before Nok opened the original Kalaya in Queen Village. Co-authored with journalist Natalie Jesionka, she reveals easy-to-follow recipes for some of her staple dishes through her cookbook, such as dry red curry with pan-fried tofu and mushrooms, Gaeng Som Pak Thai, turmeric sticky rice with coconut shrimp topping, and spicy eggplant salad with chili jam and coconut cream.
Nok Suntaranon is a Devoted Wife and a Pet Mom Based in Philadelphia
Residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Nok Suntaranon stays busy hosting different kinds of events and visiting restaurants across the nation. For instance, in December 2023, she was invited to host a 3-day event at Platform by JBF in New York City. In the last week of February 2024, she was one of the several chefs who served at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival. A few months later, in May 2024, she won the Philly Proud Community Leader Award at the Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month Celebration. In recent times, Nok has shared her culinary skills to collaborate with different restaurants, including Langbaan, Fiorella Pasta Bar, and KRU Brooklyn. In October 2024, the Thai chef was interviewed by Matt Rodbard on his podcast titled ‘TASTE,’ where she talked about Kalaya, Philadelphia, and her cookbook.
In the following month, she was “asked to be a speaker at the 2024 Ascend Inspiring Across Generations (IAG) Conference for their fireside chat with Avani Parekh.” As much as the year 2022 was significantly positive for her professional career, it was the year she suffered the loss of her furry little friend Tong. Today, she is accompanied by another dog named Titi. From the looks of it, during her first marriage with Tony, she worked at his Italian restaurant in Bangkok. Not long after her divorce, she met Ziv Katalov on a flight from Bangkok to New York. One thing led to another, and after a few years, they got married. More than two decades later, Nok Suntaranon is still married to Ziv Katalov, and they continue to share a loving and healthy bond.
Read More: Tucker Ricchio: Where is Next Level Chef Season 2 Winner Now?
