Chef Nisachon Rung Morgan draws customers from New Hampshire, Vermont and beyond to her restaurant Saap in Randolph, Vermont. And now, she’s earned one of the culinary world’s most prestigious honors: She was recently named the Best Chef in the Northeast by the James Beard Foundation.
Morgan, who was one of five regional chefs named as finalists for that award, is from the northern Isaan region of Thailand. She moved to New England in 2010, and has owned and operated Saap with her husband since 2014.
Morgan said she brings a lot of the influences from growing up in Thailand to her menu at Saap.
“I cook Isaan food,” she said. “My family cooks BBQ chili, BBQ chicken [and] sticky rice [back home].”
Morgan and her husband traveled to Chicago for the James Beard Awards ceremony Monday night. All Things Considered Host Julia Furukawa interviewed Morgan just hours before the winners were announced.
“It’s a very big deal,” Morgan said. “It’s very big for me.”
