i. Biography
My cooking style is comfort food focused on ethnic home-cooking and quality. For Bas Nakjaroen, that is not branding but method: food built from familiar forms, local sourcing, and the specific conditions of Camden, Maine. The work stays close to the table and close to the market, with steam, pork, noodles, and farm relationships doing the heavy lifting.
The Climb
Since 2009, Long Grain in Camden, Maine has been the site of Bas Nakjaroen’s steady practice as chef and co-owner. The restaurant’s shape comes from continuity as much as change: local ties, daily repetition, and a kitchen rhythm that treats consistency as craft rather than routine.
Today
At Long Grain, Bas Nakjaroen cooks in a register where memory and place sit in the same bowl. The Spicy Night Market noodle soup shows that clearly: it moved from staff-and-friends tastings to a permanent place on the menu, carrying ground pork, slices of roast pork from Maine farms, noodles, vegetables, peanuts, and fried pork rinds. The result is built for comfort, but not softness; it is layered, specific, and grounded in the kitchen’s working relationships. That kind of cooking depends on a small network made visible through ingredients. Farmers market connections and Maine farms are part of the restaurant’s identity, and the food reflects that without dressing it up. Originality here comes through selection, balance, and repetition, not gesture.
Career - chef — Long Grain, Camden, Maine (2009–present) - co-owner — Long Grain, Camden, Maine (2009–present)
Signature
Bas's signature dishes include Spicy Night Market noodle soup, mussels in spicy lemongrass broth, Chicken Pad Thai, and Pad Seaw. Taken together, they show a kitchen working in a familiar range: dishes that carry tradition, memory, and place without needing ceremony to land.
In Their Words “It’s a small community. We know everyone around, so we network with the farms and go to the farmers markets and see our friends and stuff like that.” “My cooking style is comfort food focused on ethnic home-cooking and quality. Our cooking combines food originality and where we are.”
Recognition
Bas's honors include James Beard Award Semifinalist, Best Chef: Northeast (2014).
FAQ What is Bas Nakjaroen's current role? As of 2026, Bas Nakjaroen is Chef. What recognition has Bas Nakjaroen received? James Beard Award Semifinalist, Best Chef: Northeast (2014).
