About the Owners of Prem and Preeya Chanyothi, natives of Thailand and citizens of the United States, have lived in the Philadelphia area for over 20 years. But when Prem visits Thailand, he is still recognized for his fame as a basketball player on the Thai National team in the 1970s. Prem often jokes that he was the "Dr. J." of Thailand. Preeya graduated from the Midwife School in Yala, Thailand in 1980. Prem came to America in 1976 and attended The Restaurant School in Philadelphia. In addition to learning how to professionally prepare his native Thai cuisine, he added French, American, Japanese, and Italian cuisine to his repertoire. While visiting his family in Thailand during the summer of 1982, Prem met Preeya, and it was love at first site. They married in 1984, and he brought her to the United States where he was working as a chef at The Mad Batter restaurant in Cape May, New Jersey. Prem has also been a chef at The Bay Club in Margate, NJ, One Flew Over in Ventnor, NJ, The Frog Commisary and La Panetier in Philadelphia, PA, and the Plumsteadville Inn in Plumsteadville, PA, to name a few. In 1987 Prem opened his own restaurant in Huntingdon Valley, PA and named it Café Preeya in honor of his wife. Prem and Preeya have 2 children, Lilanee and Rashan, who both attend local schools. Prem and Preeya take pride in their children, their restaurant, and their community. They support many local charities.