Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Authentic Thai cuisine coming to Kennett Sq.
An authentic Thai restaurant will open in Kennett Square in the next couple of weeks.
KENNETT SQUARE >> An authentic Thai restaurant will open in Kennett Square in the next couple of weeks.
Café de Thai, at 420 West Cypress Street will open at the site of the former Kennett Pizza building, next to Wawa.
“There is nothing like this in the area,” said Jay Dye who, along with his girlfriend Jaruwanee Primo, will run the business. “This is a great opportunity.”
Dye said the restaurant will have seating for 64, with outdoor seating in the front, and also along Garfield Avenue. There will be takeout, with possible home delivery in the future.
“It will be very cozy inside,” Dye said.
Anywhere from four to 10 people will be employed, depending on how well the business does, Dye said. Grand opening specials will be offered.
Primo graduated from culinary school in Bangkok, moved to the United States in 2002, and ran restaurants in Lake Tahoe and later in California.
Primo’s culinary repertoire flourished in June of 2002 when she moved to the U.S. and opened her first Thai Restaurant, located in Lake Tahoe, Cal. Here she developed and refined her culinary techniques. During her 10 years in Lake Tahoe Jaruwanee had the pleasure of cooking for Alicia Keys, Taraji Henson, Sammy Hagar and Lars Ulrich from Metallica.
After successfully selling her first Thai restaurant Jaruwanee opened her second restaurant in Eldorado Hills, Calif. then her third in San Bernardino, Calif. She went on to open three additional restaurants before moving to the Philadelphia area in 2018 and setting her sights on Kennett Square where she plans to settle down and further develop her culinary skills.
Jaruwanee’s cooking philosophy includes using as many fresh local ingredients as possible as well as making all of her own Thai sauces in house from scratch. Her recipes are intentionally simple featuring fresh, clean in-
gredients, cooked in a 700-degree Wok which gives food a unique flavor and retains the nutritional value better than any other cooking method.
Dye said he and Primo became interested in opening a restaurant in Kennett Square after visiting Longwood Gardens last year, and realizing there was no Thai eatery in the area.
“We just fell in love with Kennett Square,” Dye said.