Houston’s newest internationally-acclaimed chef made a name for herself by serving up “unapologetically, and authentically” Thai recipes out of a small restaurant attached to a gas station.
Now, she’s a James Beard Award winner, and she and her husband have moved their popular restaurant to a bigger location.
Street to Kitchen is owned by chef Benchawan Jabthong Painter, who goes by Chef G, and her husband Graham Painter.
The couple met in Thailand. They decided to move to Houston to be closer to Graham’s family for a few years, but then the COVID-19 pandemic hit and they settled in, opening Street to Kitchen in its original East End location in August 2020.
Chef G chooses not to modify her recipes, because they wouldn’t taste the same. She will; however, adjust the spice level.
In this episode of “Eat Like a Local with Chris Shepherd”, Shepherd sits down with Chef G to learn about how her grandmother inspired her love of cooking.
He also visits one of his original, favorite Houston restaurants, Asia Market Thai restaurant, which he credits as one of the spots where he learned to cook Thai food when he moved to Houston.
“Eat Like a Local with Chris Shepherd” is your guide to the best food in Houston. Watch new episodes Saturdays at 10 a.m. on KPRC 2.
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Street to Kitchen
3401 Harrisburg | Houston
At Street to Kitchen, Chef G shows us how she makes her acclaimed Saeng Wa Tiger Prawns and reveals what’s in the tasty Toki Thai Tea in “Eat Like a Local”.
Asia Market Thai Restaurant
4822 Fulton St. | Houston
Shepherd calls Asia Market Thai Restaurant one of his favorites of all time.
“I learned about Thai food here. The owners here would teach me how to cook it, how to serve it, how to eat it,” said Shepherd who trained at the restaurant.
In this episode of “Eat Like a Local”, Shepherd dines at Asia Market Thai Restaurant with friends from Austin. During their visit, they tried numerous traditional dishes, including the preserved duck egg which Shepherd said is delicious if you like the rich flavor of eggs.
“Always order the one funky thing,” said Shepherd “Get what you normally like, but order something off the weird part so that you can have this experience in life.”
More “Eat Like a Local” picks for Thai food
- Asia Market Thai Lao: 3620 North Main St. | Houston
- Nidda Thai Cuisine: 1226 Westheimer | Houston
- Vieng Thai: 6929 Long Point Rd. | Houston
- Street Food Thai Market: 1010 W. Cavalcade St. | Houston
Bookmark the Eat Like a Local website, so you can find more restaurants serving up great food near you. We’ll be adding restaurants to the map every week.
Watch new episodes of “Eat Like a Local with Chris Shepherd” Saturdays at 10 a.m. on KPRC 2.
More “Eat Like a Local” episodes