By all accounts, chef Benchawan Jabthong Painter was born to be a chef. Under her grandma’s tutelage, she began making Central Thai and Northern Thai classics from scratch in their neighborhood restaurant in the Central Thai metropolis of Nakhon Sawan. What her grandfather caught in the river and her uncles harvested and gathered in the fields would be served fresh daily on the menu.

Her love of bold Thai flavors and farm to table cooking followed her after moving to Bangkok with her mother, where she continued her journey working in restaurants and cafes. It was there she met her husband Graham Painter and moved to Houston with him 5 years later. She put her skills immediately to use at such lauded restaurants as Justin Yu’s nouvelle Americaine restaurant Theodore Rex.

Desiring to bring true Thai flavors using truly local ingredients, chef Benchawan and Graham launched Street to Kitchen in Houston’s historic East End. Dedicated to unapologetic Thai staples, the restaurant has garnered fans and acclaim both nationally and internationally.

In 2022, Street to Kitchen was awarded Culture Map Tastemaker Awards “Restaurant of the Year” and chef Benchawan won the coveted “Rising Star Chef of the Year” award. The following year, chef Benchawan was named Best Chef: Texas by the James Beard Foundation, the first woman and Thai chef to do so. That same year, The New York Times featured Street to Kitchen as Menu of the Year. In both 2024 and 2025, Street to Kitchen has been recognized by the Michelin Guide with Bib Gourmands. The restaurant is also listed in Eater Magazine’s 38 Essential Restaurants and regularly places in the Houston Chronicle’s Best 100 Restaurants Houston in the Top Ten.

Chef Benchawan and Graham have also launched their new 8 seat creative tasting menu restaurant, Jantra, this May, 2026.