DeeDee Niyomkul Honors Her Mother’s Legacy At Atlanta’s Nan Thai Buckhead

Mothers Day may be one of the busiest days of the year in the restaurant industry, but for chef and restaurateur DeeDee Niyomkul, every day at Nan Thai Buckhead in Atlanta is an homage to her mother — and her restaurants namesake — Nan Niyomkul.

While she wont spend the holiday itself with her mom, DeeDee brings Nans teachings into the kitchen with her daily.

“Its about the quality of service, the attention to the little details and treating each guest like family,” says DeeDee. “Those are the things I emphasize daily at Nan Thai Buckhead.”

DeeDee grew up immersed in the family business, watching her parents Nan and Charlie Niyomkul build their acclaimed Thai restaurants in Atlanta, including Tamarind in the 1990s and Nan Thai Fine Dining, which opened in Midtown in 2003. Initially hesitant to follow in their footsteps, DeeDee eventually found purpose in the industry, first learning front-of-house service and later entering the kitchen to study Thai cooking under her mother.

“She taught me about the balance of flavors,” she says. “In Thai food, theres tart, sour, sweet, salty and spicy. My mother taught me that whatever flavor you want to come out first in a dish is the first ingredient that goes into your mortar and pestle or your food processor. From there, you build on it to add background and depth. Thats how she taught me to layer flavors. As a chef, its become one of my most important lessons.”

DeeDee now serves dishes at Nan Thai Buckhead that trace directly back to her mothers influence, such as the lamb shank hung lay and crispy whole red snapper with Thai three-flavor sauce. “Its a dish that we now proudly serve in Buckhead, carrying on her tradition,” she says.

Beyond flavor, Nan also taught patience.

“Thai food takes a lot of patience!” DeeDee says. “The heat has to be right, and to achieve consistency, it takes balance, the right temperature and sometimes even the right copper pot. Being successful at making dumplings is a lot like being successful in life — it requires the best ingredients made by hand, time and consistency.”

Working closely with her mother also offered personal revelations.

“What I realized is Im a lot like Nan. We can both be stubborn, tough and critical, with touches of perfectionism and competitiveness,” DeeDee says. Now a mother herself, shes passing down those lessons to her nine-year-old son, Deklan.

“I tell him whatever you choose to do in life, youve got to have a passion for it,” she says. “You cant force it. Find your passion and do what you love.”

Each year, DeeDee celebrates her mom with their own tradition — cooking her a dish of uni pasta topped with caviar. “Any time someone cooks for you, its a gift you appreciate and love,” she says.

“When they opened Nan Thai in 2003, my father told me, One day this will be yours. I didnt get it at the time,” she says. “Now that Im a parent myself, I get it.”