After chef Benchawan “G” Jabthong Painter won her James Beard Award last year for Best Chef: Texas, her restaurant Street to Kitchen, then housed in a pip-squeak, 36-seat strip center space, could barely keep up with the demand. Reservations for the no-frills but homey spot, famous for its fiery Thai cuisine, filled up fast.

To the surprise of no one, Jabthong Painter and her husband and business partner, Graham Painter, relocated the restaurant to more spacious digs in November 2023, the former home of Café Louie in the Plant development in Second Ward. Although Street to Kitchen 2.0 is more dapper than its previous iteration, the restaurant, like its chef, still doesn’t take itself too seriously. “We wanted it to still feel like the old location,” Jabthong Painter says. “I want people to walk in and feel like they walked into my home.”

Diners can expect the same great Thai food offered, with a few additional items sprinkled in. Must-tries include the pad Thai (yes, really) nestled inside an omelet, as well as the massaman curry made extra creamy with coconut milk and cashews. Consider chasing whatever you’re eating with an extra-boozy frozen Thai tea, one of the many standout cocktails created by Graham on the restaurant’s new drink menu.

While Jabthong Painter’s phone has been ringing nonstop since her big win, she’s been taking things slow so she and her team can adjust to their new normal. But that’s about to start changing. “This year, we’re going to try to do a lot of things, but not push too much. That’s my goal,” she says, noting that she’s found herself saying yes to a lot more opportunities recently, just with some self-imposed limits.

One of those new opportunities came along in March when the popular Thai eatery opened a Street to Kitchen stall in Shell Energy Stadium. Home to the Houston Dynamo and Houston Dash soccer teams, the stadium offers dining options from other Houston food favorites like Trill Burgers and Hugo’s. Street to Kitchen’s new stall there will serve soccer game–friendly fare such as beef puff pastries, red curry cheese puffs, pork balls, and fried taro.

And when the award-winning chef needs a break from her hectic schedule, she tells us, she likes to explore the culinary offerings of her adopted city—including the Thai food. For a taste of home, she heads to local restaurants like Anna Thai Food, Tony Thai, and Street Food Thai Market.