Ben Tiatasin

The Path

The move from dining room to management to kitchen is the clearest way to read Ben Tiatasin’s early career. Bangkok Golden in Falls Church, Thip Khao in Columbia Heights, and Esaan in McLean each marked a different stage in that progression, building the practical range that later carried into Laos in Town in Washington, D.C., a Laotian restaurant later recognized by the MICHELIN Guide. The sequence matters: service, then leadership, then cooking, each layer adding another set of skills to the work. Training at DC's Esaan gave Ben Tiatasin a working foundation in the daily demands of restaurant life. That early experience set the structure for what came next, putting rhythm, discipline, and kitchen responsibility into practice before his role expanded. Today, Ben is Executive Chef of Laos in Town (since 2019).

The Work Today

Since 2019, Tiatasin has served as Executive Chef at Laos in Town in Washington, D.C., where the focus is Laotian cuisine. The title gathers together the experience built across the floor, the office, and the line: front-of-house work in Falls Church, management in Columbia Heights, and kitchen work in McLean. At Laos in Town, that background reads less as a résumé line than as a working toolset, with each stage informing how the next one is run. The kitchen at Laos in Town carries that lineage plainly. Service came first, management followed, and then the chef role at Esaan put the emphasis squarely on cooking before he took over the capital’s kitchen. The sequence gives his work a clear internal logic: someone who has handled more than one side of a restaurant, and who now brings those earlier rooms into service every day.

Career - Executive Chef — Laos in Town, Washington, DC (2019–present) Education: DC's Esaan

Signature

Ben's signature dishes include LIT Signature Salad, crispy quail, mok pla, Pla Tong Na, and Nam Khao. Together, these dishes show how the menu moves between a recognizable restaurant marker and plates rooted in Laotian cooking. LIT Signature Salad sits alongside crispy quail, mok pla, Pla Tong Na, and Nam Khao, giving a useful read on the range of the kitchen without drifting from its core style.

Acclaim

Ben's honors include Bib Gourmand (2024) and Metro Cooking DC 2019 Grand Tasting Best Bite Competition (2019). The Bib Gourmand (2024) places Laos in Town within the current measure of his work, while the Metro Cooking DC 2019 Grand Tasting Best Bite Competition (2019) captures an earlier point in that same trajectory. Read together, the two notes show a career that has been building with consistency over time.

FAQ What is Ben Tiatasin's current role? As of 2026, Ben Tiatasin is Executive Chef. Where did Ben Tiatasin train or study? Ben Tiatasin trained at DC's Esaan. What recognition has Ben Tiatasin received? Bib Gourmand (2024).