Thip Khao

Chef Seng was born in Laos and fled the country during the Vietnam War. During her stay at a Thailand refugee camp of Nakhon Phanom, she learned how to cook from her camp neighbors and elders. At the age of twelve, she was the eldest of five and took on the role of caretaker of her four younger siblings in order to support her working mother. In 2009, at the age of 40 she decided to go after her greatest passion, cooking. She took over Padaek (previously Bangkok Golden) in 2010 and in 2014, she opened Thip Khao. In 2019, she opened a fast casual concept, Sen Khao, at the Tyson's Galleria in McLean, VA and also a cocktail bar, Hanumanh, located in the Shaw DC area. She is one of the founders of Lao Food Movement, an initiative to encourage Laotian-Americans to preserve and uplift Lao culture. She is considered the godmother of Laotian cuisine in America amongst her peers. 

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A Northern Virginia native who sought a path with food as a language to deeply learn his family's Laotian culture. His time spent in culinary school and building his craft under the best chefs in New York and Washington DC led to the opportunity to fully step in the lead role in his family businesses in 2014. Since then, he has helped grew to four concepts: Padaek, Thip Khao, Hanumanh and Sen Khao. His sole ambition is to continue preserving the integrity of Lao culture and encouraging the Lao-Americans to tell our stories within our communities. He feels inspired when discovering old historical contents, recipes, art, nature, and aesthetics that makes Laos such a beautiful country.

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