Chef Kasem Saengsawang, known to many as Chef Pop, arrived in the United States with $300 in his pocket and a dream rooted in the markets of Loei, Thailand — where his grandmother first taught him to cook from the heart. He started as a prep cook, working kitchens to pay his way through school before earning his culinary diploma from Le Cordon Bleu in San Francisco. Today, he is one of the most recognized Thai chefs in America.

As the founder of Farmhouse Kitchen Thai Cuisine (2015), Daughter Thai Kitchen (2016), Son &Garden (2019), and Noka Ramen (2022), Chef Kasem has built a culinary movement he calls “ThaiFood New Generation” — a bold, modern take on Thai cuisine that honors tradition while pushing boundaries. His restaurants span San Francisco, Oakland, Menlo Park, Berkeley, Los Angeles, andPortland.

In 2025, Chef Kasem was crowned Food Network CHOPPED Champion in the “Thai Takedown”episode, a victory he dedicated to “the culture, the community, and everyone who believed in me.”His restaurants hold the prestigious Thai SELECT Signature Award from the Thai government, and he works closely with Thailand’s Ministry of Commerce to champion Thai cuisine as a global soft power — most recently leading the “Thai Village” experience at the LA Times Food Bowl. He has also been honored with a commendation from the City of Oakland and earned the Michelin BibGourmand for Best Thai Restaurant in San Francisco (2016–2020).

Whether cooking for a national TV audience or preparing meals for a temple donation kitchen, Chef Kasem’s purpose has never changed — gathering family and friends around a shared table, the way his grandmother taught him.