David Thompson (chef) facts for kids
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David Thompson addresses a plenary session at the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery, 2012
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| Born | Sydney, Australia |
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| Cooking style | Thai cuisine |
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Current restaurant(s)
Long Chim Perth, Aaharn Hong Kong, Aksorn Bangkok, Chop Chop Cook Shop
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Previous restaurant(s)
Darley Street Thai, Sailor’s Thai, Nahm London, Nahm Bangkok, Long Chim Singapore, Long Chim Melbourne, Long Chim Seoul, Long Chim Sydney
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David Thompson is an Australian chef, restaurateur and cookery writer, known for his expertise in Thai cuisine. His restaurant Nahm, opened in London in 2001, was the first Thai restaurant to receive a Michelin star. Nahm Bangkok remained on the World's 50 Best Restaurants list for seven consecutive years.
Career
After visiting Thailand in his 20s, Thompson moved there to learn the language and study the cuisine for two and a half years. He returned to Australia and opened Darley Street Thai in Sydney in 1992, followed by Sailors Tai in 1995. The success of these restaurants was noticed by the Singaporean hotelier Christina Ong, who asked Thompson to open a restaurant in one of her COMO hotels.
Nahm opened in 2001 in the Halkin hotel in London, and received a Michelin star within six months. It was the first Thai restaurant to gain this award. Thompson received the "London Chef of the Year" award at the Carlton Evening Standard Food Awards in 2003. The British food writer Grace Dent wrote that Thompson "changed the face of Thai food in the UK back in the early noughties. You'll hear this repeated by chefs and food writers whenever Thompson's name is mentioned, and his work genuinely warrants genuflection ... When he opened Nahm in 2001, Thompson laughed in the face of the predictable, cosy and safe Thai food we'd been used to."
In 2010, Thompson opened a second branch of Nahm in another hotel belonging to the COMO Hotels group, the Metropolitan in Bangkok. In 2012, Thompson closed Nahm London to concentrate on Nahm Bangkok. In 2014, Nahm was listed as Asia's best restaurant and remained on the World's 50 Best Restaurants list for seven consecutive years. Nahm was awarded a Michelin star in 2017 when the Michelin Guide first included restaurants in Thailand.
In 2014, Thompson founded the Aylmer Aaharn Thai food group, which came to manage operations across six countries including Thailand and Australia. Thompson was also the headline chef for the inaugural Wonder Feasts series at the first Wonderfruit festival, in Thailand.
In 2015, Thompson was interviewed on Bloomberg Television series High Flyers in Singapore. He also opened a chain of low-key Thai restaurants with Long Chim Singapore and Long Chim Perth. Branches in Sydney (2016), Melbourne (2017) and Seoul (2018) followed. The Singapore and Melbourne restaurants closed in 2019 and the Seoul restaurant in 2020.
In 2016 Thompson was recognised with the Lifetime Achievement Award at Asia's 50 Best Restaurants Awards for his dedication and commitment to Thai cuisine. In 2018, Thompson left Nahm Bangkok and opened another Thai restaurant, Aaharn, in Hong Kong. In 2023, Thompson opened Chop Chop Cook Shop on the first floor of an art deco building on Yaowarat Road in Bangkok. In December 2024, Long Chim Sydney closed due to high rent costs.
Personal life
Thompson is married to his Thai business partner, Tanongsak Yordwai (Thai: ทนงศักดิ์ ยอดหวาย).
Books
Thompson has also written three books. The first, Classic Thai Cuisine, was published in 1993. The second, Thai Food, a comprehensive account of Thai cuisine, covering its history and role in society, as well as numerous recipes and menus, was released in 2002. His third book, Thai Street Food, is a collection of his favourite 100 recipes of the street.
