Arun is proof you don't have to be a Type-A chef, with the accompanying theatrics, to become a star in the kitchen. This quiet, artistic, Buddhist chef is the epitome of humility and yet his restaurant is known as the best Thai dining in America. An ordained Buddhist monk, poet, and painter, Chef Arun Sampathavivat is a master of Thai cuisine. Since opening "Arun's Restaurant? in 1987, he has become world-renowned “ and won a James Beard Award as Best Chef Midwest. Celibate, he lives with his brother in Chicago and still practices the tenets of Buddhism. Although the religion espouses rejection of "worldly things?, Arun has had to embrace success. Frommers has described Arun's as "the best Thai restaurant in the country.?