Leela Punyaratabandhu

Leela Punyaratabandhu (pronounced boon-yuh-RUHT-tuh-puhn) is the author of Bangkok: Recipes and Stories from the Heart of Thailand and Simple Thai Food: Classic Recipes from the Thai Home Kitchen. She also writes about Thai cuisine on her cooking blog, SheSimmers.com which was named the best Regional Cuisine blog in 2012 by Saveur Magazine. Leela’s writing has appeared in CNN, Wall Street Journal, Serious Eats, Food52, and Dill Magazine. In 2017, she was named one of the 100 Greatest Home Cooks of All Time by Epicurious.

Dividing her time between Chicago and Bangkok, Leela’s work focuses on Thai food and Thai restaurants both in the United States and Thailand. She has conducted numerous interviews with chefs, restaurateurs, and Thai cuisine experts in both countries. @shesimmers