Chef Zack Wannawong, the opening chef of Hotel West & Main’s two restaurants, Hook & Ladder and 1874 Social, when the property opened in Conshohocken in 2022, suffered the loss of his leg in the spring of 2024 following the discovery of a life-threatening infection, necrotizing fasciitis, in his foot.
Wannawong’s condition was so dire that doctors placed him in a coma for nearly 20 days while surgeons worked tirelessly to save my life. This involved multiple surgeries, including the eventual amputation of his right leg up to his hip and the removal of part of the muscle in his left leg. Additional surgeries worked to prevent the infection from taking his arms.
The chef awoke from the coma to find his leg gone and found the pain, both physical and emotional, overwhelming. As he lay in his hospital bed crying, he wondered what his life would now be like.
The 35-year-old native of Thailand has been in the hospitality industry since the age of 16, rising from a dishwasher to a line cook at his aunt’s Thai and Chinese restaurant in Florida. At 19, he moved to Washington, DC, and actively pursued becoming a professional chef. First, he worked as a sous chef at an Asian restaurant, where he honed his skills in the kitchen and learned how to run a kitchen and manage a team.
NBC10’s Philly Live broadcast an interview with Wannawong on March 3rd. Watch that and continue with MoreThanTheCurve.com’s article below.
Wanting to learn new techniques, Wannawong jumped to a sushi restaurant and worked to master the art of sushi rice and fish preparation. He then landed in the kitchen at a fine-dining French restaurant, where he ran the chef’s table and managed the kitchen staff.
In 2015, Wannawong landed in Richmond at The Boathouse and then found his way to Philadelphia’s Olde Bar in 2020. These stops led up to his overseeing the opening of the restaurants at Hotel West & Main in Conshohocken, and he dreamed of owning his own restaurant one day.
Wannawong spent four weeks in the intensive care and then five weeks in a rehabilitation facility before returning home. He has since learned how to navigate everyday tasks from a wheelchair and started learning to walk again with a prosthetic leg, all while managing intense nerve pain, the depression that came with his new reality, and being stretched financially beyond his means.
Despite these challenges, Wannawong is determined to rebuild his life and support his five-year-old son, his greatest source of hope and love.
Wannawong hopes to share his new life as an amputee through a YouTube channel, which will also share his love of cooking, especially exploring the rich cultures behind different cuisines. He looks to inspire others with disabilities to find strength and purpose in their own lives and live beyond trauma.
The chef offered, “To anyone living with a disability: I see you. I understand the pain, the depression, and the frustration of feeling unseen. But I also believe in the power of hope and perseverance. You are not alone in this fight.”
You can follow Wannawong’s recovery and future endeavors at @Zackwannawong and contribute to his recovery fund here.
Photos: Zack Wannawong