Billy Snow, co-owner of the East End’s iconic Thai Cafe, has died at the age of 82. His obituary comes to us courtesy of Legacy.
Billy “Southeast” Snow
Billy Snow passed away peacefully surrounded by family at the University of Louisville hospital downtown on May 3, 2026.
Billy was born in Louisville, Ky on January 13, 1944. He served his country as an Airman in the United States Air Force and was stationed in Udon Thani, Thailand in the late 1960’s. It was in Thailand that he met and married his wife Chavantee. They were married for 57 years and together opened the Thai Cafe in Louisville in 1994. The restaurant thrived for 28 years and is still remembered fondly by their many patrons. Billy worked for the United States Postal Services for 37 years.
He is survived by his 3 children; Ahtitya Snow, Vichan Snow (Asher) and Thida Snow; 1 grandchild, Julianne “Rhorey” Snow; 2 sisters, Martha Pumphrey (Lawrence) and Diane Holmes.
At his request there will be no formal service for his passing, and in lieu of flowers please make any donations in the name of Airman Billy Snow to https://www.vanurse.org/donations/.
A regular reader reminds us that Billy Snow was the nephew of Felton Snow, a star third baseman in baseball’s Negro Leagues.
Of course, there could not have been a Thai Cafe without Snow’s wife Chavantee, who died on May 23, 2025.
Following is a brief modern-day history of Thai cuisine in Louisville, which I wrote as part of last year’s Simply Thai profile.
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Kentucky’s first Thai restaurant likely was Siam Thai, operating as early as 1980 in Lexington, reputedly the only such establishment south of Chicago. In 1990, Chai and Denise Assapimonwait opened Thai Siam at Gardiner Lane Shopping Center in Louisville. Thai Siam was followed in 1994 by Thai Cafe at Holiday Manor Shopping Center.
Both pioneering restaurants attained a ripe old age, closing in 2014 and 2022, respectively.
Thai Cafe was founded by Billy Snow, who’d been one of those soldiers in Thailand, with his wife Chavantee, a Bangkok native. Just after Thai Café opened Chavantee’s sister Chaveewan arrived in Louisville with her husband Mahn Saing and their sons Jade, Gene and Jeff.
Both sisters were accomplished cooks; their mother ran a restaurant in Bangkok, and grandmother had worked with the chef to Thailand’s royal family. This sort of work was perfectly normal, because in Thailand...Read more
