Nongkran Daks is the executive chef and owner of the Thai Basil restaurant in Chantilly, Virginia. Part master chef and dedicated teacher, she makes her cuisine come alive in all its authentic, traditional glory. She has taught Thai, Vietnamese, and Chinese cooking in Bangkok, Beijing, Honolulu, Vientiane, Laos and Washington, DC. Nongkran is the author of several Asian cookbooks and enjoys sharing the secrets of authentic Thai cooking with students in her cooking classes. Nongkran's most popular dish is Pad Thai, and she proved her mastery of it when she won Food Network's Pad Thai Throwdown challenge against celebrity chef, Bobby Flay.

Alexandra Greeley is a food writer, cookbook author, editor, reporter, food critic, staff writer, and freelance writer and editor, both in the United States and in Asia. She has also worked as a staff food editor for Vegetarian Times magazine. She served as the food writer & editor for the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong and has been a restaurant reviewer and editor for Gayot.com. She's a member of Les Dames d'Escoffier and is the co-founder of the Washington DC chapter of Slow Food USA.