Thai Restaurant Opening in Chewelah

“We are so excited – we will be able to provide another option for the community to eat and enjoy our food,” said Peck.

Peck’s inspiration for cooking comes from her mother, she said, who raised her as a single parent in Thailand by selling food on the street each morning.

“We sold food on the side of the street every early morning till noon," Nina said. "My mum and I woke up at 4 a.m. to prepare food before I started school. Then at like 8 a.m. I would go to school, and she would cook and sell food by herself until noon.”

Though Peck admitted she didn’t love waking up before dawn as a teenager, she said the lessons stuck with her.

“At that age, I really hated to wake up and cook, but since moving out of my mum’s place, I realized cooking is still in my blood," Peck said. "I just hated waking up at 4 a.m. and not being able to sleep in and enjoy time.”

Peck said she learned to cook entirely from her mother and through her own curiosity.

“I learned all from my mum and some dishes I learned from TV and YouTube since I love cooking so much,” she said. “Sometimes when I have a chance to go to a hotel buffet in Thailand, if I have a chance, I talk to the chef and get some trick or secret from them too.”

Although she’s never owned a restaurant before, Peck has years of experience cooking, selling, and learning from professional chefs.

"I have never done a restaurant before in my life,” she said. “But when I was in Thailand, I had opportunities to be mentored by several chefs."

After moving to Chewelah nearly three years ago, Peck said she quickly found a home in the town’s farmers market community.

“I first started being a food vendor at the Chewelah Farmers Market…then I fell in love with all my vendors at the market, the town, and people here,” she said. “Most of them are so kind, helpful, and sweet. And I had a lot of good feedback about my food, so I decided to start my first business here.”

Thai StreetFood by Nina will feature a rotating menu of authentic Thai dishes.

“Our types of dishes we would like to serve are curry, stir-fried, soup, some noodles, and more special Thai dishes each day,” Peck said.

Customers will be able to dine in, take out, or order catering, and Peck said she plans to continue offering creative specials and seasonal flavors.

Peck said the community’s support has been overwhelming since announcing the opening.

“I’m so surprised, everyone is so supportive and encouraging. They have been very positive and excited for us to open,” she said.

“We just wanted to have something fun that celebrates food, family, and community,” Peck added. “We’re looking forward to seeing everyone there.”