Lucy Gellman Photos
Sourivong.
After immigrating to the United States from Thailand’s Khon Kaen Province, Daraporn Sourivong, who goes by the nickname “Pook,” opened Jeera Thai in 2011. There, she’s been serving what she calls her specially “healthy” brand of Thai food since.
Jeera Thai wasn’t her first venture in the restaurant business. As a 20-something in Connecticut, she had helped her family open Son Siam Thai restaurants in Guilford and Old Saybrook. But she was interested in bringing a taste of Thailand to another community in the state. Jeera, which Pook lovingly calls a “Little Thai Kitchen,” is nestled in the block that also houses a mochi store and Karaoke Heroes on Crown Street, and has gained a small following as just that, celebrating a fifth birthday this year.
Recently, WNHH intern Phoebe Petrovic had a chance to sit down with Pook for an episode of WNHH’s “Open for Business.” Excerpts from their interview are below. For the entire interview, click on or download the audio at the bottom of this article.
Inside Jeera Thai.
Why and how did you leave your native country? When did you leave?
When I came to this country when I was 21, I also dreamed, I wanted to have my own business. Of course Thai food, because I love to cook, I love to serve it, and I worked in a Thai restaurant. I worked in a busy restaurant in NY, and I hoped my restaurant would get busy like them. So that’s why I feel like I should do it and I should do it good.
Why did you choose to come to New Haven? When did you come?
I love Connecticut. My first city in Connecticut was New Haven. New Haven is a small city. It’s nice: it’s nice to work with the kids, the Yale student, because you do see something change everyday. You do see something fresh, and you see something a lot different. It’s kinda a small New York. I live in Branford. But I have business in New Haven, I love New Haven. I tried to get apartment in New Haven, but [rent was] high.
There are a lot of Thai places in New Haven. What’s different about Jeera?
My restaurant is not like real, authentic restaurant, but it tastes really authentic. And my food is kinda — I tried to make something up to date to the current, that people like to eat. Let’s say my rice: I use jasmine rice because people are trying to take care of themselves with healthy food, and the Thai food is still the same, but in part, for getting recipes I took from my family. But I have to change a little bit for whatever my taste is. I
feel like the food is good and tastes good. Of course the customer will like it too, you know. and most of the customers love my drunken noodles. But for me, I love something like Kung Pao, spicy food. Healthy.
Thai food is kinda healthy already, even if you didn’t come here, most of Thai food — basically, because of Thai people, it’s underdeveloped country, they just eat vegetables in the garden. So most vegetables in Thai food — they have nutrition. Like basil, is a healthy herb. Chili, also makes the blood running. So of course lamb have vitamin C, so it’s something like that, so that’s why — Thai is not too oily, and we don’t use dairy, so that’s why you can get good digestion.
What was it like to open Jeera?
At first, hard. Because this location is not a lot of people walk, when I open. But now it’s a lot of development, new apartments, new things so people walk more. From the beginning I suffer — I don’t make money at all. But second year, people know because I work hard and I care for the food, care for the customers. That’s why I have people, they call it word of mouth.
What has been your most memorable day on the job?
I think a good memory was on Christmas day. I opened because — just for fun, I didn’t mean to open, but I didn’t want to stay home. But that day was so busy! Yeah, so people were looking for something to eat! So I’m happy. That day was fun. I was like, ‘Okay, let’s go to the restaurant, maybe we can do something better than staying home.’ But when customers see — I turned on the light, and people heard, they just came. It was fun.
Are you glad you came here? Do you encourage other people to do the same?
The one thing I don’t like is I miss home. But now I don’t miss home at all, I feel like this country is my country too. So far I’m really happy to be here and right now I’m a US citizen, and I am so happy to be a part of this country … “This is my dream country. I love to come to US because it’s good opportunity and experience. Of course if I didn’t have customers to support me I’m not gonna be able to survive. I hope it’s busy every day.
This interview is part of WNHH-LP’s “Open For Business” series on immigrant business owners and leaders in the nonprofit community. To listen to the whole episode, click on or download the audio above, or subscribe to WNHH’s new podcast “Elm City Lowdown” to have the episodes delivered directly to your phone. “Open for Business is sponsored by Frontier Communications. Frontier is proud to be Connecticut’s hometown provider of TV and internet for your home and business. Their phone number is 1.888.Frontier and their website is Frontier.com.
