Kalaya chef Chutatip ‘Nok’ Suntaranon lands on the Time 100
Making the Time 100 caps a run for the chef that includes starring in Netflix's Chef's Table and the debut of her cookbook Kalaya's Southern Kitchen.
It’s been quite a run for Kalaya chef Chutatip ‘Nok’ Suntaranon over the past six months: In November, she debuted her cookbook, Kalaya’s Southern Thai Kitchen, and starred in an episode of Netflix’s hit series Chef’s Table. Now she’s debuting on Time magazine’s annual 100 Most Influential People list as one of its “Innovators” for 2025.
In a blurb written by fellow Philly chef Michael Solomonov, she’s hailed for Thai cuisine that “embodies everything she’s gone through and everything she’s worked for, which means that her dishes are vibrant, personal, and full of flavor.” He signs off, “Eating Nok’s food—and being her friend—is a very visceral, delicious experience."
Other luminaries in the innovators category include Snoop Dogg, director Jon M. Chu, architect Ma Yansong, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, and cosmologist Wendy Freedman. Also in this category is the only other chef to make the list, New York’s Kwame Onwuachi.
Suntaranon’s restaurant is one of the Inquirer’s 76 most vital restaurants in Philly.