Chef Jeff Chanchaleune is a two-time James Beard Award finalist and executive chef/owner of Ma Der and BAR SEN, two Laotian restaurants in his hometown of Oklahoma City. Thanks to his father’s classical training at the American Culinary Federation, growing up in a family-owned diner, and his mother’s homemade Laotian food, Chanchaleune was immersed in a variety of food cultures from a young age. In 2021, Chanchaleune opened Ma Der to explore and share the authentic Laotian fare he grew up eating at home. Since then, Ma Der has garnered national attention, earning its place as one of Bon Appétit’s 50 Best New Restaurants in 2022, The New York Times’ Best Restaurants in 2022, and USA Today’s Restaurants of the Year in 2024. BAR SEN opened in February 2025.