Chef-owner Pam Liberda of Waldo Thai earned a Best Chef: Midwest nomination as a 2023 James Beard Award Semifinalist. Nominees for finalists will be announced on Wednesday, March 29, and winners will be celebrated at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards Ceremony on Monday, June 5, 2023, at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

"Pam Liberda’s cooking is a showcase of more regional specialties and less-familiar fare," noted Kansas City Magazine. Waldo Thai also ranked as one of Kansas City Magazine's 40 Best Restaurants in Kansas City.

Liberda and Waldo Thai were also highlighted in a 2020 article in Feast Magazine about regional Thai cuisine: It’s her belief that this [laab moo kua lanna] and other regional specialties can open diners’ minds to even more flavors and dishes such as gaeng hung lay, stewed pork belly and curry broth with a harmonious amalgam of sweet, sour and salty notes. “You want people to learn about your culture through food,” says Liberda.