Justin Pichetrungsi, chef and owner of Anajak Thai restaurant in Los Angeles, recently received the James Beard Award for Best Chef California and was named a Food & Wine Best New Chef in 2022. After growing up in Anajak, the restaurant that his parents opened in 1981, Justin spent more than a decade in entertainment at Disney and as an professor at the prestigious ArtCenter College of Design. In 2019, Justin returned to helm the Anajak kitchen, carrying on the legacy of the chef, his father Ricky, cooking the dishes that the neighborhood family restaurant was known for. Along the way he added his own ideas– the popular Thai Taco Tuesday, developing an extensive wine program, and the Omakase tasting menu experience to showcase the flavors of Thailand interpreted for the modern Los Angeles culinary landscape. Anajak Thai has also been named LA Times Restaurant of the Year, was included in the New York Times America’s Best Restaurants list, and received a Michelin Plate Honor three years in a row. Currently Justin can also be seen braving some heat on First We Feast’s Heat Eaters with Esther Choi and F*ck That’s Delicious with Action Bronson.