Seng Luangrath was born in Vientiane, Laos where she grew up in a multi-generational home and learned to cook from her grandmother. At the age of 12, Luangrath fled Laos with her mother and brothers; her sister, who was viewed to be braver than Luangrath, stayed behind to care for her grandmother. Her family lived in refugee camps in Thailand and the Philippines. While living in a refugee camp in Nakhon Phanom, Thailand, her mother remarried and Luangrath learned to cook various Lao regional cuisines from her stepfather. In the Philippines her family attended an English language school in preparation for moving to Berkeley, California in the United States. Luangrath attended Berkeley High School and then Laney College. In 1988 Luangrath married a man through a courtship her mother arranged, and moved with her new husband to Northern Virginia. Luangrath worked as a bank teller and accountant while her husband worked in manufacturing, food service, and flooring before the pair started a construction business for military housing. The business ultimately failed leaving the couple looking for new options. Luangrath dreamed of opening her own restaurant and the opportunity arose to take over a Thai restaurant, Bangkok Golden (now Padaek) in Falls Church, Virginia. The original menu featured Thai food but included secret Lao dishes. After a positive review from a Washington Post food critic, Luangrath began serving both Thai and Lao dishes. With encouragement from her customers and the Washington, D.C. chef community, she opened Thip Khao in Columbia Heights, Washington, D.C. with her son, Bobby Pradachith. Together Luangrath and Pradachith lead the Lao Food Movement which promotes Lao cuisine and culture and encourages ethnic minorities to be proud of their identities and cultures.