Thai couple opens GR eatery nine months after move to US

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A new Thai restaurant is preparing to officially open along Grand Rapids’ Wealthy Street.

Thai Table is set to have its grand opening next week at 950 Wealthy St. SE near Diamond Avenue, owner Pennapa Wichian and her husband, Eakkasak Kaosa-ard, told News 8.

The couple celebrated the soft opening of the restaurant Thursday. Originally, they were going to post a sign-up for the soft opening on social media.

But by the time the soft opening came around, there was already more than 100 people on the list from those who had reached out directly, Kaosa-ard said.

“I’m excited,” Wichian told News 8 on Thursday. “This is our first day, we wake up early and … last night I cannot sleep, so excited.”

The couple moved to the United States from Thailand last Christmas.

“Every day, every morning is (an) experience. We need to learn everything here,” Kaosa-ard said, adding that even getting gas at the gas station is different.

The couple wanted to open Thai Table to share authentic Thai recipes with the Grand Rapid community.

The menu will feature recipes Wichian learned from her mom, like a Thai omelet soup, a recipe she recently entered in Meals on Wheel’s Annual Chef’s Specialty competition .

The Thai omelet soup was the first recipe her mom ever taught her, she said.

As they prepare to open the doors to the restaurant, Wichian and Kaosa-ard said they don’t just want to serve up food, they also want to help customers create memories.

They said they look forward to getting to know their customers, and they want to help educate the community about Thai food.

“It’s (what we) most enjoy and the exciting part because we try to talk with them, educate them,” Kaosa-ard said.

He said the key to the restaurant is their attention to detail.

“I think the detail that you see in the everything that we do and in every food, every picture, every message, I think the detail will be the hidden weapon,” he said. “And also the love.”

The couple said they’re looking forward to serving up authentic Thai food to the community.

“Really excited,” Wichian said.

“We always say almost there, almost there,” her husband added.

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