Best Female Chef: Pichaya 'Pam' Soontornyanakij

As the first of The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2025 special awards to be released in June, it is announced that Pichaya 'Pam' Soontornyanakij, owner of Potong in Bangkok, has been named the World's Best Female Chef 2025. A culinary expert and celebrated TV personality, Pam is a leading figure in Thai gastronomy worldwide.
After being named Asia's Best Female Chef 2024, she is now making history as the first Asian and Thai female chef to receive this prestigious global title, further cementing her status as a powerful force on the world culinary stage.

Pam spent her formative years in Bangkok, honing her skills at the Culinary Institute of America before gaining hands-on experience at the prestigious Jean-Georges in New York. Back in Thailand, she co-founded The X Project with her husband, a hospitality group fuelled by a shared passion to create bold, unique food concepts that constantly push boundaries and bring something new to the industry.

One of their first projects was The Table, an intimate private dining experience that has been recognised both locally and regionally. She also owns Smoked, a multi-branch restaurant in Bangkok that masterfully blends the smoky essence of traditional American Texas BBQ with Thai reverence for beef. The group has now grown to ten different restaurants and bars across the city, including TORA Izakaya, Khao Sarn Sek - a contemporary celebration of sacred Thai ingredients - and Opium Bar, an immersive cocktail experience above Potong that has gained international acclaim and is ranked 73rd on Asia's 50 Best Bars 2024. Looking to the future, she is preparing to open RA-U, a reimagined Thai grill house that continues her mission to honour heritage through modern expression, returning to her roots and opening Potong, a restaurant that celebrates her Thai-Chinese heritage, in 2021. The name means "simple" and pays homage to her family's long-established Chinese herb shop. Located in one of her family's historic buildings that was once a traditional Chinese apothecary, Potong masterfully blends heritage with cutting-edge cooking. The unique tasting menu is based on Chef Pam's "Five Elements and Five Senses" philosophy, offering diners a rare opportunity to experience heritage and food as one - something that has never been done before and is only possible at this location.

As one of Thailand's most influential chefs, Chef Pam has turned Potong into one of Bangkok's most celebrated gastronomic destinations, earning her prestigious accolades including 13th place on the Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2025 list - up from 35th place the year before - and 57th place on the World's 50 Best Restaurants 2024 list.In addition to her restaurants, Chef Pam serves as a head judge on Top Chef Thailand and continues to gain international recognition through her judging work on global cooking programmes such as Top Chef Arab World, The World Cook, The Maverick Academy, Iron Chef and most recently The Restaurant War Thailand, where she raises her voice as a leading representative of modern gastronomy. Passionate about empowering the next generation, she has also launched the WFW (Women for Women) Scholarship and Internship Programme, a platform designed to empower young female chefs in Thailand through mentorship, professional opportunities and access to culinary education.

William Drew, Director of Content at The World's 50 Best Restaurants, says: "It is an absolute privilege to announce Pam as the recipient of The World's Best Female Chef Award 2025. She creates extraordinary, innovative dishes, weaving cultural stories with food and pushing the boundaries of culinary tradition. Her visionary approach to gastronomy and influential role in the Thai culinary scene and beyond make her more than worthy of this recognition on an international level." Pam says: "I am truly honoured to be named World's Best Female Chef 2025 and I am honoured to be the first Thai woman to join the ranks of remarkable women who have paved the way before me. This award emphasises the importance of recognising the invaluable contributions of women in the culinary world. It is not only for me, but also for all other female chefs who can contribute to the development of Thai cuisine on the world stage. Most importantly, I hope it inspires the next generation of female chefs to pursue their culinary dreams.

The World's Best Female Chef 2025 is the first of several awards to be announced ahead of The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2025 awards ceremony, which will take place on the evening of Thursday 19 June at Lingotto Fiere in Turin. This year's programme includes a number of key events that have become the foundation of the 50 Best Restaurants celebrations: the thought leadership forum #50BestTalks, where some of the most important issues affecting the world of hospitality today will be discussed; the 50 Best Signature Sessions, a series of collaborative food events for the public, where 50 Best chefs will cook alongside renowned local talent, dining exclusively; a Chefs' Feast, showcasing the finest quality ingredients and cooking techniques for which the region is renowned; and the awards ceremony and countdown itself.