Jet Tila
🇹🇭 Thailand · Thai cuisine · b. 1972
The chef behind LA's first family of Thai food and a fixture of American food television.
Biography
Jet Tila is a Los Angeles-born Thai-American chef whose family is widely credited with pioneering Thai food in Los Angeles. His grandfather opened the first Thai grocery store in Los Angeles in the 1960s, his uncle ran one of the city's first Thai restaurants, and Tila himself was named the first Culinary Ambassador of Thai cuisine to the United States by the Royal Thai Consulate-General.
A recurring judge on Food Network's 'Cutthroat Kitchen,' 'Beat Bobby Flay' and 'Iron Chef Showdown,' he is one of the most visible Asian-American chefs in US television. He runs Pakpao Thai and Dragon Beaux in California and consults on menus across the US.
His cookbook '101 Asian Dishes You Need to Cook Before You Die' is one of the most accessible introductions to home Asian cooking in English.
Cooking Philosophy
Thai-American as its own cuisine. Tila argues that the Thai food cooked by Thai immigrants in Los Angeles since the 1960s — adapted to American produce, slightly milder, slightly sweeter — is its own legitimate cuisine, distinct from but as worthy of respect as Thailand's regional cuisines.
Restaurants
- Pakpao ThaiDallas / California
Modern Thai restaurant group.
- Dragon BeauxSan Francisco
Hong Kong-style dim sum (consulting / collaboration).
Awards & Recognition
- Culinary Ambassador of Thai Cuisine to the United States (Royal Thai Consulate-General)
- Guinness World Record (Largest Stir-Fry, 2011)
Iconic Dishes
Cookbooks
- 101 Asian Dishes You Need to Cook Before You Die
- 101 Epic Dishes
Signature Recipes Inspired by Jet
Original recipes we created as homages to Jet's cooking style and signature dishes. Not direct reproductions of any copyrighted material — these are our interpretations of the traditions Jet has worked with throughout their career.
Recipes in Jet's Style
These recipes from our database reflect the thai cooking tradition that Jet works in. They are not direct reproductions of Jet's copyrighted recipes, but traditional dishes inspired by the same culinary heritage.
Career Timeline
His grandfather opens the first Thai grocery store in Los Angeles — Bangkok Market — laying foundations for LA's Thai food scene.
Begins his professional culinary career across Los Angeles restaurants after training at Le Cordon Bleu Pasadena and the California Sushi Academy.
Named the first Culinary Ambassador of Thai Cuisine to the United States by the Royal Thai Consulate-General.
Sets a Guinness World Record for the largest stir-fry (over 4,000 pounds) at the Thailand Tourism event in Los Angeles.
Becomes a recurring judge on Food Network's 'Cutthroat Kitchen' and 'Iron Chef Showdown.'
Publishes '101 Asian Dishes You Need to Cook Before You Die.'
Hosts 'Ready Jet Cook' on Food Network.
Frequently Asked Questions about Jet Tila
Who is Jet Tila?
Jet Tila is a Los Angeles-born Thai-American chef and Food Network personality. His family is credited with pioneering Thai food in Los Angeles, and he was named the first Culinary Ambassador of Thai Cuisine to the United States by the Royal Thai Consulate-General.
What is Bangkok Market?
Bangkok Market was the first Thai grocery store in Los Angeles, opened by Jet Tila's grandfather in the 1960s. It supplied a generation of Thai immigrants with ingredients from home and is widely credited with anchoring the Thai community in Hollywood and East Hollywood that gave LA its dense Thai restaurant scene.
Where does Jet Tila appear on Food Network?
Tila has been a recurring judge and competitor on 'Cutthroat Kitchen,' 'Beat Bobby Flay,' 'Iron Chef Showdown,' 'Guy's Grocery Games,' 'Chopped' and his own series 'Ready Jet Cook.' He is one of the most consistently visible Asian-American chefs on US food TV.
What does Jet Tila's cookbook focus on?
His bestseller '101 Asian Dishes You Need to Cook Before You Die' is a pan-Asian home-cooking primer aimed at American home cooks: pad Thai, drunken noodles, kung pao chicken, bao buns, banh mi and other dishes broken into clear weeknight recipes, with emphasis on the few pantry staples that unlock most of Asian home cooking.
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