Originally from Thailand, Wedchayan “Deau” Arpapornnopparat opened popular takeout window Holy Basil, with partner Tongkamal “Joy” Yuon, in 2021. Holy Basil has now expanded their original DTLA location to a larger space in the Arts District and opened two more locations in Santa Monica and Atwater Village. Holy Basil focuses on Bangkok/Central Thai Street Food, and while Los Angeles is a hotbed for Thai food, Deau focuses on his favorite dishes, utilizing prized local produce along with quality meat and fish purveyors. Deau and Joy are also behind The Base, which is a hand-crafted line of beverage starters featuring unique flavors centered around fresh-picked fruits and herbs.
In 2024, Chef Deau was named one of Food & Wine magazine’s Best New Chefs. Other accolades for Holy Basil include earning a spot on the Los Angeles Times’ 101 Best Restaurants list for multiple years. The restaurant has also secured a spot on the New York Times’ Best Restaurants in Los Angeles list since 2024 as well.
Deau originally moved to the United States to study Fine Art on the East Coast. He then relocated to San Francisco, California, where he worked his first restaurant job, and later to Los Angeles, where he worked as a designer at Snapchat for a few years before gravitating back to restaurants. He has worked in almost every position in restaurants, from busser and dishwasher to host, line cook, and now chef/owner of Holy Basil, and co-owner/operator of The Base with Joy.