• View more photos on Flickr.

HOUSTON, April 9, 2024 — In a stimulating discussion as part of its signature Bank of America Women's Leadership Series, Asia Society Texas welcomed three prominent chefs for a conversation on the intersections of identity, family, entrepreneurship, and community in the restaurant industry.

Chefs Dawn Burrell of the Marcus Samuelsson Group, Benchawan ("Chef G") Jabthong Painter of Street to Kitchen, and Kiran Verma of Kiran's — each known for their innovative contributions and recognized by the James Beard Foundation — were joined onstage by moderator and KHOU 11 anchor Shern-Min Chow. The chefs shared inspiring stories of how they started in the food and hospitality industry and reflected on their respective challenges and inspirations, noting that a key component of their success is their determination to overcome difficulties and willingness to adapt and learn.

Chef Kiran shared that after her first foray into the restaurant industry, she took a long break to be a full-time mother and, years later, returned with a newfound sense of perspective and determination. Chef G began her journey by starting a catering company just before the COVID-19 pandemic, which prompted her to pivot and transition to a new project that became her acclaimed restaurant Street to Kitchen. A long jumper in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Chef Dawn entered the restaurant industry when an injury ended her track-and-field career.

The chefs discussed how they manage the pressures of running their businesses, in addition to their increasingly important profiles in social media and their communities. Chef Dawn emphasized the importance of putting oneself into the food served and to consider its purpose and meaning, explaining how her culinary endeavors have also forayed into her participation in grassroots organizations and nonprofit advocacy. For Chef G, food is an integral part of her childhood memories and family. All the chefs agreed that their respective backgrounds and identities have influenced how they relate to food and draw inspiration for their work.

Finally, the chefs commented on current trends in the food and hospitality industry. Chef Kiran noted that many entrepreneurs are looking to open restaurants and join Houston's lively food scene, while Chef Dawn said she's observed an increased interest in offering more diverse food options. Chef G shared her desire to open new restaurants based on different concepts, including her dream of opening a restaurant in Thailand. The chefs concluded the program by answering thought-provoking audience questions on topics ranging from entrepreneurship to cuisine types to the importance of work-life balance.

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About the Speakers

Chef Dawn Burrell first made headlines through her career in track and field. She represented the U.S. in the 2000 Olympics and the 2001 Indoor World Games. Following her athletic career, she attended culinary school and began working with Chef Tom Aikens in London. After returning to the U.S., she worked alongside Monica Pope at T’afia and Sparrow Cookshop and served as sous-chef at award-winning Uchi in Austin before being recruited to take the helm at modern Southern restaurant, Kulture, in downtown Houston. At Kulture, Chef Dawn’s vision of global comfort food garnered local and national acclaim, and she was honored with a James Beard Award semi-finalist nomination in 2020. She is currently working under contract with the Marcus Samuelsson Group.

Chef Dawn was a finalist in Top Chef Season 18 and a participant in Season 20. She also was chef-partner with the Lucille’s Hospitality Group from 2021-2023. Chef Dawn is committed to her community of color. In 2019, alongside with colleagues, she led the Food Apartheid Dinner Series, to call attention to the negative health effects of processed foods and to food insecurity issues in urban neighborhoods.

Chef Benchawan Jabthong Painter (Chef G) is the 2023 James Beard Winner for Best Chef: Texas. At the age of six years old, she began helping make Central Thai classics from scratch with her grandmother in their neighborhood restaurant in the North Central Thai metropolis of Nakhon Sawan. She has never stopped cooking since. After working in a number of Bangkok restaurants and pastry shops, Benchawan met her husband Graham Painter and eventually moved to Houston, TX.

She put her skills immediately to use at such lauded restaurants as Justin Yu’s Theodore Rex and Saltair Seafood Kitchen. In August 2020, Chef Benchawan and husband Graham Painter launched Street to Kitchen which is dedicated to unapologetically Thai staples. The restaurant has garnered fans and acclaim both regionally and internationally. In 2022, Street to Kitchen was awarded CultureMap Houston’s Tastemaker Awards “Restaurant of the Year” and Chef Benchawan won the coveted “Rising Star Chef of the Year” award. Street to Kitchen is also listed in Eater Magazine’s "38 Essential Restaurants Houston, and made the Houston Chronicle’s "Best 100 Restaurants Houston in the Top Ten."

Chef Kiran Verma, a 2023 James Beard Semifinalist for Best Chef Texas and considered the "godmother of Indian fine dining," has created world-class Indian cuisine at her eponymous restaurant. Chef Kiran is a self-taught chef who has been guided by her Indian upbringing and a love of fine cuisine. She defines her cuisine as a combination of cultures, philosophies and cooking techniques. The restaurant is known for serving up Indian hospitality, with French sophistication and American informality. Kiran’s award-winning wine list of over 300 labels, along with monthly wine dinners, complements the delicate flavors of the food. Chef Kiran served as a guest judge on Top Chef Season 19.

Feeding children has become a cause especially close to Chef Kiran’s heart. In 2023, she partnered with India’s celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor to raise funds for Akshaya Patra, the world’s largest NGO to serve midday meals to underprivileged children in schools in India and together, the chefs raised over $250,000.

About the Moderator

Shern-Min Chow anchors KHOU 11 News at Noon weekdays and fills in on other newscasts and reports. She joined the station in 1996. She began her career in journalism as a stringer for Newsweek and has worked at KTRK-TV and anchored at KPRC-TV in Houston, as well as KENS-TV in San Antonio. Chow's awards include the Houston Press Club Award for Best Series, the Texas Associated Press Award for Best Spot Newscast-Producer and an Emmy for the documentary Hong Kong Under the Dragon.

Shern-Min speaks often to civic groups, schools, churches and other organizations. Over the years, she has made close to 1,000 community appearances. She is currently on the advisory boards of the Asia Society and the Chinese Community center. She has previously served on the boards of SpringSpirit Baseball, the Bo & Stacey Porter Self Foundation, the YWCA, The Houston Ballet, the Chinese Community Center and The Bayou City Medical Center.

A history graduate from Yale University, Shern-Min speaks conversational Mandarin and Shanghai dialects of Chinese. She has also studied Spanish, French and German. Shern-Min and her husband have two sons. They are new graduates of Rice University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Asia Society hosts today's leading voices, providing commentary on events in news, society, and culture. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect Asia Society views.

About the Women's Leadership Series

The Women's Leadership Series (WLS) celebrates influential, diverse women making a substantive impact in both the business and culture arenas, locally and globally.

Previous programs:

2023 | Women Leading the Evolution of Skincare
2023 | Houston's Leading News Anchors
2023 | Asian American Women in Law
2022 | Philanthropists Leading With Passion
2022 | Huma Abedin on Public Service and Private Legacies
2022 | Cooking at Home, Writing from the Heart with Priya Krishna
2021 | Asian American Leaders Standing Up for Racial Justice
2021 | Women in Space: Breaking Barriers on Earth and Beyond
2021 | Innovation and Investment in Climate Change Solutions
2020 | Building Black and Asian Solidarity: Women Leading Across Race, History, and Culture
2020 | Women Responding to COVID-19
2020 | Women in Journalism: Ann Curry
2019 | Leadership and Success: Conversation with Former PepsiCo Chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi
2018 | Women in Entertainment
2018 | Energy Executives on the Importance of STEM Education
2018 | Women in Culinary Arts: Christine Hà, Jenni Tranweaver, and Kiran Verma
2017 | Women in Fashion: Chloe Dao, Becky Hollands, Khanh Nguyen, and Naina Shah
2017 | Innovators in Medicine & Science with Keynote Dr. Huda Zoghbi
2017 | Women's Education and Empowerment with Keynote Cherie Blair
2016 | Women in Energy
2016 | Leading from the C-Suite with Keynote Lulu C. Wang
2016 | The Advancement of Women in Public Service with Elaine Chao
2015 | In Conversation: Dr. Anne Chao, Donna Cole, and Y. Ping Sun

About Asia Society Texas

Asia Society Texas believes in the strength and beauty of diverse perspectives and people. As an educational institution, we advance cultural exchange by celebrating the vibrant diversity of Asia, inspiring empathy, and fostering a better understanding of our interconnected world. Spanning the fields of arts, business, culture, education, and policy, our programming is rooted in the educational and cultural development of our community — trusting in the power of art, dialogue, and ideas to combat bias and build a more inclusive society.

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