Randolph restaurant owners Nisachon and Steve Morgan weren’t the first to know that Nisachon — who goes by Rung — was nominated for a James Beard award. A television anchor broke the news to the married couple when he called to ask how to pronounce Rung’s name.
“He said, ‘Oh, you haven’t heard?’ And I said, ‘Heard what?’” recounted Steve Morgan.
The anchor told Steve that Rung had been nominated for best chef in the Northeast, a category that includes all six New England states.
“I was just gobsmacked,” Steve Morgan said.
The James Beard Foundation is a nonprofit working to celebrate those in America’s food scene, and to create equity within the industry.
Rung Morgan, the chef of Saap Restaurant, grew up in the Isaan region of northern Thailand. She and Steve met via online dating and they Skyped to get to know one another. After many months, Steve bought a ticket and flew to Bangkok.
“Then I went a second time and a third time,” Steve said. “Finally, we talked about getting married.”
At the time, Steve worked at Gifford Medical Center to “reinvent hospital food” and Rung worked in housekeeping at the Three Stallion Inn in Randolph.
But in 2014, the couple opened Saap in a space where Steve once did fundraising buffets for the White River Craft Center. At the time, they were open four days a week.
Steve has since quit his job at Gifford and the couple cooks up lunch and dinner six days a week.
Since the call from the anchor, the response has been “overwhelming,” Steve said. Business has tripled, especially after it was announced Rung is one of five finalists chosen from the 20 nominees. The other finalists include three chefs from Portland, Maine, and one from Boston.
Saap and the Morgans also gained recognition nationwide as NPR and 300 other radio stations across the country announced Rung’s nomination.
“People in California are hearing about it, people in Texas are hearing about it,” said Steve, referring to Saap. “People that are from Randolph said, ‘Oh, my cousin or my stepfather or whatever, the chef in Napa Valley, is asking about this restaurant in Randolph, Vermont.’”
The national spotlight on the Morgans has also highlighted Saap’s differences compared to other restaurants. Rather than a team of waitstaff and kitchen crew, Saap is run solely by the Morgans, one waiter on weeknights, two on the weekends, and a singular dishwasher.
And amid the accolades, the demands of running a kitchen haven’t slowed down. During a phone interview with Morgan, Rung quickly jumped on to say “Hello!” between the Wednesday lunch and dinner rush, where she does the majority of the cooking.
“Lots of Thai restaurants are much bigger than we are,” Steve said. “So they have teams of line cooks that are cooking the food, whereas my wife cooks almost every dish or so. That’s the big difference.”
A brief respite will come when they join their fellow finalists in Chicago this weekend for the James Beard “Gather for Good” black-tie gala. They have their formal attire ready and a room booked within walking distance of the Lyric Opera of Chicago where the event will be held, Steve said.
Rung will represent Vermont at the prestigious event and the winner for best chef in New England will be announced on June 13.
“It’s exactly like watching the Oscars,” Steve said. “Instead of actors and actresses, it’s famous chefs.”
