Talented chef behind Street to Kitchen wins James Beard Award

HOUSTON, Texas -- A talented Houston chef is making history. Benchawan Jabthong Painter, known as Chef G, runs the popular authentic Thai restaurant Street to Kitchen in the East End. She is not just the only Houstonian to win a James Beard Award this year, she's also the first Houston woman to win in the Best Chef: Texas category.

"If I didn't come to this country, I would not have this chance to be who I am today," said Chef G, who is originally from Thailand. "This means a lot, a lot, a lot for me."

Chef G and her husband, Graham Painter, first opened Street to Kitchen in summer 2020, during the early months of the pandemic. The award-winning restaurant is located in a gas station strip center, with just 10 tables, but the small spot began to attract big attention from the start.

"The food industry at the time was so grim," said Graham Painter. "They were reporting on so many closures that anybody that was doing something to open was good news. It never dipped off. We implemented a reservation system that does give people a little bit of space, a little bit of time, and were able to stagger it out a little bit. But look around you in this little room, we are right at the capacity."

Street to Kitchen plans to move down the street into a bigger space on November 1st. The restaurant will soon relocate to The Plant in Second Ward, a development that connects the METRO rail lines with the Buffalo Bayou trails. The new 2,800 foot square foot space will triple Street to Kitchen's occupancy.

ABC13 caught up with the husband-wife duo behind Street to Kitchen in the video above to learn about their journey from Thailand to the James Beard Awards!