A Round of applause for an Award-Winning Director and Culinary Advocate
| Eda Benjakul, an Emmy Award-winning director, writer, and culinary producer, is a shining example of resilience and creativity. Growing up in Chicago, Eda helped her immigrant parents introduce Thai cuisine to the city, an experience that fueled her passion for storytelling through food and culture. Since becoming a client of NEW-WBC, Eda has combined training and counseling sessions and submitted her documentary short, Home Restaurant, to our 2023 Women in Entertainment Conference, where it was awarded as one of the winners. The film explores the social impact of legalizing home-cooked meals in California. Home restaurants provide healthy, locally sourced food while redistributing corporate fast-food dollars back into the community. California is currently the only state to legalize MEHKO (micro-enterprise home kitchen operations), which significantly lowers the cost of entry for food businesses and creates economic opportunities. With MEHKO implemented in over 15% of the state, home cooks are becoming activists, shaping this new micro-enterprise economy. |
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| As a Director, Home Restaurant has won several prestigious awards, including Best Short Documentary at the California International Short Film Festival and the Sonoma International Film Festival. It also aired on PBS KVCR, earning Telly Awards for Directing and Social Impact. We can’t forget to mention that she received NEW-WBC’s Filmic Brilliance Award for her documentary! In 2025, a new documentary short, Home Restaurant: San Diego will air on KPBS San Diego. As a writer, her stories are like whispers of the past, touching on generational trauma, coming of age, and the spark of hope. She believes that to know who you are, you have to understand where you’ve come from. By the time she was six, Eda had already danced through six cities across three continents, guided by her diplomat aunt. These adventures shaped her view of the world and the magic of being truly seen. Now, she’s on a mission to let unheard voices shine on the screen. As a producer, starting out as a field reporter at ABC News to producing culinary magic for Top Chef/Bravo Digital, Tastemade, and Food Network, Eda’s journey is all about creating stories that matter. She was part of the founding team of the L.A. Times Kitchen and continues to conjure kitchen content magic, which can be seen at the L.A. Times Studios YouTube Channel. Eda’s story, from being the cultural heart of her family’s restaurant to becoming an award-winning filmmaker, shows just how powerful food and culture can be in driving real change. Her success with Home Restaurant doesn’t just spotlight food justice; it proves how passionate storytelling can shake things up and make a difference. CURRENT: Sending a huge congratulations for Eda’s creative advocacy from New Economics for Women!In 2024, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to implement micro-enterprise home kitchen operations (MEHKO) in Los Angeles. Sign up here for the next Cook Academy opportunity to apply for a MEHKO permit, waive permit fees, receive college credit and $3000 in start-up funds for your home restaurant business: https://www.cookalliance.org/cookacademy For more information about Eda Benjakul, please visit:– Website: https://culinaryproducer.com/– IG: @edamame_directs– IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2067937/ Mary ClarkProgram Assistantmclark@neworg.us213-374-0498 |
