Bee Satongun

Bongkoch "Bee" Satongun (born 1976) is a native Thai chef and restaurateur. She is known for her landmark restaurant, Paste Bangkok, which received a Michelin star.[1] Chef Bee has expanded the Paste brand to neighboring Laos and recently opened a third venue in Australia.[2]

Chef Bee Satongun

In 2018, Satongun was named elit Vodka's Asia's Best Female Chef by the World's 50 Best Restaurants.[3] She has been invited to cook at culinary events such as the annual Taste of Paris[4] and Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival 2018.[5] Currently, Paste holds the 70th rank on Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2021.[6]

Early life and career

Prior to the opening of Paste, Satongun spent years researching the history of Thai cuisine, re-creating ancient recipes and culinary techniques alongside chef, husband and business partner, Jason Bailey.[7]

Both Satongun and Bailey had humble beginnings, from Satongun's childhood memories of pounding herbs with pestle on mortar to assist her mother's street food stall business in Bangkok,[8] to Bailey's experiences growing up in the Southern Highlands of Australia.[9] She met her husband on one of his earlier research trips to Thailand.[9]

Paste Bangkok

In 2012, Satongun and Bailey opened their first Paste restaurant in the neighborhood of Thonglor. In 2015, they opened a new iteration of Paste in Gaysorn shopping mall, located in Bangkok's Ratchaprasong district adjacent to the Intercontinental Hotel.[10] At Paste, dishes represent regional Thai cuisine, taking inspiration from ancient Thai recipes and royal family cookbooks.[7] Chef Bee hopes to do away with the notion of Thai food as 'cheap takeaway', and re-frame the cuisine in the minds of her diners.[11]

In 2018, Paste Bangkok was awarded its first Michelin star in the inaugural Michelin Guide Bangkok.[12] Paste Bangkok retained its one-Michelin-star rating in 2019.[12] As of 2021, it retains its one Michelin star.[12]

Other restaurants and pursuits

In 2018, Satongun and Bailey opened their first overseas branch of Paste, Paste Laos at the Apsara in the UNESCO World Heritage-listed ancient town of Luang Prabang.[13] Currently, Bailey is working on the development of Paste in Australia.[9]

List of awards
  • Winner of Most-Loved Thai Fine Dining Restaurant by Time Out, 2016[14]
  • 10 Best Michelin-rated Restaurants in Bangkok by The Guardian, 2017[15]
  • Tatler Thailand's Top 20 Best Restaurants, 2017, 2018,[16] 2019,[17] 2020,[18] 2021[19]
  • elit Vodka's Asia's Best Female Chef by World's 50 Best Restaurants, 2018[20]
  • One Michelin star, Michelin Guide Bangkok, 2018,[12] 2019,[12] 2020,[21] 2021[22]
  • #31 on Asia's 50 Best Restaurants, 2018[23]
  • Best Thai Fine Dining by Top Tables Bangkok, 2018[24]
  • Leading Woman in Hospitality by Tourism Authority of Thailand, 2018
  • Thailand Chef Ambassador by Gault&Millau Guide, 2018[25]
  • #28 on Asia's 50 Best Restaurants, 2019[26]
  • #29 on OAD Asia's Top 100 Restaurants, 2020[27]
  • #38 on Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2020[28]
  • #70 on Asia's 50 Best Restaurants, 2021[6]

References
  1. Irvine, Oliver (2017). "Bangkok's first Michelin-star restaurants have been announced". BK. Retrieved 2019-06-11.
  2. Hayes, Helen (August 5, 2020). "The secret restaurant with Michelin cred in Mittagong, NSW". South China Morning Post.
  3. "Traditional Thai food is at risk of getting lost". The World's 50 Best Restaurants. Retrieved 2019-06-11.
  4. Kalmykova, Elena (2018-05-17). "Elena Kalmykova : 5 expat chefs to discover at Taste of Paris this weekend". Dispatches Europe. Retrieved 2019-06-11.
  5. "Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival celebrates 10th birthday in largest scale ever and with limited-run fine wines and delicacies". Media Outreach. Retrieved 2019-06-11.
  6. Sgarbi, Giulia (22 March 2021). "Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 1-50". ASIA'S 50 BEST RESTAURANTS 2021. Retrieved 2019-06-11.
  7. "5 Questions With Bee Satongun On Bangkok's Culinary Scene". Michelin Guide. Retrieved 2019-06-11.
  8. Chan, Bernice (13 June 2019). "More than pad thai and tom yum soup: Thai chef's real food quest, and why it's hard to find the right recipes". South China Morning Post.
  9. "Why Paste Bangkok's 'Chef Bee' aims to save food's 'soul'". South China Morning Post. 2019-06-01. Retrieved 2019-06-11.
  10. "Best Thai Fine Dining Restaurant in Bangkok - Paste Bangkok at Gaysorn". Thai Street Food, Restaurants, and Recipes | Eating Thai Food. 2017-01-25. Retrieved 2019-06-11.
  11. Aureus, Dudi. "Chef Bongkoch 'Bee' Satongun Of Paste In Bangkok On Preserving Thailand's Traditional Cuisine".
  12. Cole, Holly. "Paste – a MICHELIN Guide Restaurant in Thailand". Fine Dining Lovers. Retrieved 2021-02-19.
  13. "About - Paste Laos Restaurants in Luang Prabang". Paste Laos. Retrieved 2019-06-11.
  14. "Chang Live Park presents Time Out Bangkok Love Awards 2016 | The Winners". Time Out Bangkok. Retrieved 2019-06-11.
  15. Vichit-Vadakan, Vincent (2017-12-18). "10 of the best Michelin-rated restaurants in Bangkok". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-06-11.
  16. "Thailand Tatler's 2018 Top 20 Best Restaurants Revealed".
  17. "Here Are Thailand Tatler's 20 Best Restaurants Of 2019".
  18. "Tatler Thailand's Top 20 Best Restaurants of 2020".
  19. "Tatler Thailand's Top 20 Best Restaurants of 2020".
  20. Sgarbi, Giulia (2018-06-02). ""Traditional Thai food is at risk of getting lost" – elit Vodka Asia's Best Female Chef Bee Satongun". The World's 50 Best. Retrieved 2021-02-19.
  21. Wichiantanon, Kankanit (12 November 2019). "The winners of The Michelin Guide 2020 Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Phang-Nga".
  22. "Paste in MICHELIN Guide 2020".
  23. "Paste". ASIA EN. Retrieved 2019-06-11.
  24. "Here they are, all the big Top Tables 2018 special awards". toptables.asia-city.com. 2018-03-20. Retrieved 2019-06-11.
  25. "Bee Satongun, ambassadrice dans le guide Tasty Thailand du Gault&Millau, également élue meilleure cheffe d'Asie".
  26. "Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 1-50". ASIA EN. Retrieved 2019-06-11.
  27. "2020 Asia Top 100+".
  28. "Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2020".
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