Chef de Cuisine
Saritwat “Earth” Wanvichitkun
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Chef Earth was born and raised in Phuket. He went to Penang, Malaysia, to attend high school and after graduating he was as many young people struggling to figure out what carrier to follow. He decided to go for a soul-searching trip around Thailand and at one point during this trip he arrived in the town of Chiang Rai in Northern Thailand.
One evening he went out to a restaurant to enjoy some local food. The food was delicious, and the restaurant was full of happy people enjoying themselves and the food. Having grown up in a family who owned a restaurant in Phuket, he suddenly realized how food can be a powerful tool to bring people together and that the answer to his soul searching was far closer to home than what he had imagined.
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The decision was made – he wanted to be a chef. Chef Earth enrolled in Le Gordon Bleu in Bangkok as he decided that he wanted to master the French cuisine. He studied 4 years at Le Gordon Bleu Dusit Culinary earning a Diploma de Cuisine and Dusit Thani College earning a Bachelor of Culinary Art & Restaurant Management. While studying he did odd jobs in small Wester restaurants around Bangkok to gain firsthand experiences.
Upon graduating he took up a job at the two MICHELIN Star restaurant Mezzaluna at the State Tower, Bangkok, as a trainee. From there he moved on to Bistro Convent working as Chef de Cuisine.
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Due to family issues Chef Earth had to return to his native Phuket to help his family. As his mother had fallen ill one of his duties became cooking family meals. It was then he realized that he knew well how to cook French food but when it came to mastering the Thai cuisine his skills were not up to speed and if he didn’t know his mother certainly did.
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Chef Earth then made another important decision that he needed to master the art of cooking Thai, especially Southern Thai. His mother became his primary teacher sharing old family recipes and techniques. Another passion was born!
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In 2019 he was invited to join the opening team of Nitan restaurant in Phuket as Executive Chef creating a gastronomic experience showcasing Southern Thai classics using contemporary techniques. It was awarded: Best Restaurants 2020 by Tatler Thailand and in 2021 it made it into the MICHELIN Guide. In 2021 Chef Earth won the Iron Chef Challenge in the Thai Twist category.
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After his success with Nitan Chef Earth has decided it is time for a new challenge in his culinary journey taking over as executive chef of SAAWAAN.
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SAAWAAN was awarded 1 MICHELIN-starred restaurant from 2019 to 2022. Chef Earth knows that expectations are high! He is looking forward to continuing working with the unique SAAWAAN menu concept with each dish representing the different techniques used in traditional Thai cooking, such as boiling, steaming, grilling, stir-frying, and fermenting adding his skills as a trained French chef and most likely some Southern Thai flavors from his native Phuket. He also plans to work closely with small scale farmers producing organic and high-quality produce to support them and to ensure that SAAWAAN gets the best raw materials. “Chefs need to learn about the soil and farmers need to know about the taste” says Chef Earth.
Chef Pâtissière
Chayanin “Pond” Tanapradit
Chef Pond discovered her passion for pastry during an international internship in the United States, where she worked at the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe and Grand Hyatt Indian Wells. Surrounded by the vibrant creativity of the pastry kitchen, she was inspired by the idea that pastry could be both precise and artistic — edible art that balances technique and imagination.
She completed her formal culinary education at Dusit Thani College, Thailand, graduating from a four-year program in professional cooking and pastry arts. Her training laid the foundation for her refined approach to flavor, texture, and presentation.
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In 2015, she joined the team at Issaya Siamese Club, working alongside Chef Arisara “Paper” Chongphanitkul for five years. It was during this time that she developed her distinctive style — blending classic French pastry techniques with the bold, native ingredients of Thailand.
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In 2021, Chef Pond joined the pastry team at SAAWAAN, the one-MICHELIN-starred fine dining restaurant in Bangkok since 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022. Since 2025, she has taken on the role of Pastry Chef at SAAWAAN, where she continues to express her creativity through seasonal Thai-inspired desserts rooted in craftsmanship and cultural storytelling.
