David Bank was born and raised in Thailand and got his start in his wife’s family’s restaurant in Thailand. He moved to New York in 1995 and began culinary training with such notable chefs as Jean Georges Vongerichten (JoJo, Spice Market, Matsugen) and Tadashi Ono (Matsuri).David and his wife Vanida opened their first restaurant, Land Thai Kitchen, on Amsterdam Avenue in Manhattan in 2005. Land Thai quickly became a neighborhood favorite, featuring innovative Thai cuisine at a great value in a stylish setting. Two years later, the Banks opened a second restaurant, Land Northeast Thai, on Second Avenue, offering favorites from the Westside location complemented with dishes of Northeastern Thailand.