Chef
Ohm Suansilphong
- Discipline
- Chef
- Based in
- New York City, New York, United States
i. Biography
From chef roles at Nahm in Bangkok and Long Grain in Australia, Ohm Suansilphong’s path reads like a carefully plated journey toward New York City, where he has been chef and co-owner of Fish Cheeks since 2016. The route is mapped not in broad strokes, but in kitchens and dishes: Bangkok to Australia, then into a restaurant identity shaped by specific plates and a concise, disciplined idea of technique that keeps the work in motion.
Early Years
Before the 2016 New York chapter, Bangkok enters the story through a chef role at Nahm. The title is plain, but the setting carries weight: a working life in a kitchen identified with the city, and one of the clearest early markers in Suansilphong’s progression. It is the sort of post that signals momentum without announcing itself too loudly, a step that helps define the shape of what comes next. Australia adds another stage through Long Grain, where he also cooked as chef. Taken together, the two roles give the arc its first real lift, moving from Bangkok to Australia before arriving at the restaurant he would help own and lead from the kitchen. The chronology matters here, but so does the texture of it: named places, a defined role at each one, and a line of travel that can be followed through the work itself.
Making a Name
At Fish Cheeks, the signature cooking is concrete and tightly drawn. Grilled Banana Leaf-wrapped Branzino with Southern-style Curry Paste carries its technique in the title, folding fish, wrapping, and curry paste into one composed expression. The dish reads with the clarity of a kitchen that knows exactly what it wants to say, and how to say it. Coconut-Crab Curry with House Curry Paste points to another register of the same place. The name is concise, but it offers the essential coordinates: coconut, crab, curry, and a paste identified as house-made in the dish title itself. Together, the two dishes suggest a kitchen that favors precision over flourish, letting preparation and structure do the speaking. Suansilphong’s own phrasing is just as spare: “The technique is different, too.” In a career that moves across Bangkok, Australia, and New York City, the sentence lands like a key turning in a lock. The difference is not only one of geography or menu language, but of method — a reminder that kitchens can be linked by memory while still feeling distinct in practice.
The Present
Since 2016, Suansilphong has held the combined role of chef and co-owner at Fish Cheeks. That pairing gives the present tense of his work its shape: responsibility in the kitchen, and ownership at the same New York City venue. It is a role that suggests both presence and stewardship, the daily rhythm of cooking paired with the broader act of helping define a restaurant’s identity. The most precise way to understand that arrival is through the dishes attached to him there. The banana leaf-wrapped branzino with Southern-style Curry Paste and the Coconut-Crab Curry with House Curry Paste are not side notes; they are the clearest public expressions of the craft now associated with his role.
Signature
Ohm's signature dishes include Lon, Ping Ngop Pla, Grilled Banana Leaf-wrapped Branzino with Southern-style Curry Paste, and Coconut-Crab Curry with House Curry Paste.
Recognition
Ohm Suansilphong has received James Beard Award semi-finalist, Best Chef New York (2022).
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Ohm
What roles has Ohm Suansilphong held?
He has been chef at Nahm, chef at Long Grain, and since 2016 chef and co-owner at Fish Cheeks in New York City.
What is Ohm Suansilphong doing now?
Since 2016, he has been chef and co-owner at Fish Cheeks.
