i. Biography
The 2024 James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurant went to Langbaan in Portland, Oregon, where Akkapong Earl Ninsom is owner. That award is the cleanest read on his Portland work: a Thai dining program carried across the city through named ownership roles, each one marking range, control, and consistency. In Ninsom’s case, the story is not built around a single flagship. It is built through a set of rooms that together define a wider practice.
The Climb
Akkapong Earl Ninsom’s Portland footprint is best understood as accumulation. The work has grown by adding roles, venues, and responsibility without losing its center. He is owner of Langbaan, owner of Hat Yai, chef of EEM, owner of Phuket Cafe, and owner of Yaowarat. Read together, those titles show a restaurateur whose reach extends beyond one address and into a coordinated group of concepts. The force of that career lies in its structure. Each title carries a different kind of authority, but the pattern is consistent: owner, chef, owner, owner, owner. That sequence signals stewardship as much as presence. across Portland, Ninsom’s venues carry the imprint of that steady hand, even as each one stands on its own terms. What makes the arc notable is its scale without drift. Langbaan, Hat Yai, EEM, Phuket Cafe, and Yaowarat do not read as isolated projects. They read as a portfolio assembled with discipline, each venue extending the work of Thai cuisine into another setting. Yaowarat, since 2023, is the newest point in that line.
Today
Current work places Ninsom at Portland, Oregon venues. He is owner at Langbaan. He is owner at Hat Yai. Since 2023, he has been owner at Yaowarat. Those titles are concise, but they define the present clearly. Ownership assigns responsibility, and Ninsom’s responsibility spans more than one room and more than one expression of Thai cuisine. Langbaan is the venue most closely tied to national recognition, but the wider picture is of a restaurateur whose work reaches Across Portland through multiple concepts. The result is a body of work with clear edges and a broad footprint.
Recognition
Akkapong's honors include James Beard Foundation Awards, Outstanding Restaurant (2024). That 2024 honor for Langbaan is the shortest summary of what Ninsom has built in Portland. It acknowledges not just one dining room, but a larger system of work that has taken shape through named roles and repeated responsibility. The award lands as confirmation of a portfolio already defined by breadth, consistency, and the citywide reach of its venues.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Akkapong
What is Akkapong Earl Ninsom's current role?
As of 2026, Akkapong Earl Ninsom is owner of Langbaan.
What recognition has Akkapong Earl Ninsom received?
James Beard Foundation Awards, Outstanding Restaurant (2024).
What is Akkapong Earl Ninsom known for?
Thai cuisine.
