Thai dynasty Fresh, flavourful cuisine at Mae Sunee inspired by the family matriarch By: Eva Wasney Posted: 5:01 PM CDT Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023

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This article was published 15/08/2023 (1125 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Thai family restaurant empire is quietly growing in Winnipeg.

Standing in the dappled sunlight of her daughter’s cosy patio, Sunee Inthon is beaming with pride.

“I think it’s really nice,” the 63-year-old owner of Thida’s Thai Restaurant says of her daughter Praphatsorn (Pae) Inthon’s new venture. “I want her to (get) a lot of customers because I put my life into my restaurant and I wanted to teach her everything.”

Pae, 38, opened Mae Sunee Thai Cuisine in the West End last September as an homage to her mother — in name and in culinary tradition.

“My dream is to make her proud,” Pae says. “Everything is her; she made me everything I am today.”

When Sunee moved to Winnipeg from Bangkok in 2000, she made the difficult decision to leave her husband and three kids behind in search of better job prospects. She worked in a factory for several years before joining the staff at Magic Thailand Restaurant where she learned the ins and outs of business ownership.

Over the last two decades, Sunee has turned Thida’s — a tucked-away dining room on Donald Street — into a local institution. Now, the next generation of Inthons are making their mark on the restaurant scene.

After the kids finished school, the family joined Sunee in Winnipeg to help run the business. Pae, the middle child, and her siblings got involved in every aspect of the operation at Thida’s, from cooking to serving customers to inventory. It was during a trip to buy ingredients that Pae noticed a “For Lease” sign in the window of the colourful restaurant at the corner of Wellington Avenue and Erin Street.

“I liked this place; it was small and nice. I brought my mom and said, ‘Feel it — if you like it, I’ll take it,’” she says.

The former home of Café Dario — a longtime Winnipeg fine-dining staple that shuttered amid the pandemic — offered good vibes and an opportunity for Pae to follow her own entrepreneurial dreams.

“I needed to do my own thing,” she says.

The building’s bright paint palette has been replaced with cool blues inside and out; green foliage and gold Thai decor pieces have taken the place of South American-inspired artwork. An intimate dining room opens onto a charming enclosed patio.

The first year of business has been tough. Mae Sunee is currently in the middle of a heavy street construction zone, making it difficult to attract customers to the already isolated location. Thankfully, Pae hasn’t had to go it alone.

Her sister Nok also recently opened her own restaurant — a quick-service eatery called Kiin Thai Kitchen on Lowson Crescent — and the siblings have been helping each other out from afar.

“If we ever run out of something, we’ll call Uber and get it delivered (to the other restaurant),” Pae says with a laugh.

She also has the full support of her mother. Prior to opening, Sunee was adamant about trying everything on the extensive menu.

“If I can eat it, the customer can eat it,” the matriarch says. “I want her to make good-quality food.”

“If I can eat it, the customer can eat it… I want her to make good-quality food.”–Sunee Inthon

While she doesn’t have any formal culinary training, Pae has been helping her mom and aunt in the kitchen since she was five years old. She’s taken on her mom’s dedication to fresh ingredients and familial approach to customer service.

“It’s our happiness to see customers smiling. To see everybody come and enjoy our food,” Pae says.

The menu at Mae Sunee is a blend of family recipes — diners might recognize the Pad Thai sauce from Thida’s — and “real” Thai flavours.

“There’s not many places making real traditional (Thai food) in Winnipeg. Real Thai food is spicy and more flavourful,” Pae says.

With three restaurants in the Inthon family portfolio, it was also important to put her own twist on tradition.

“This is my style — I like my food to be pretty but also taste good,” Pae says. “When you go out and eat, you look first.”

eva.wasney@winnipegfreepress.com

Twitter: @evawasney

Tasting Notes is an ongoing series about Winnipeg restaurants, new and old, meant to offer diners a taste of what’s on the menu.