Meet Pam Nayangcharoen of Thai Orkits in South LA

Today we’d like to introduce you to Pam Nayangcharoen.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I’m always brainstorming ideas. It was a combination of my Grandma & Mother’s influence and the current pandemic that inspired me to create Thai Orkits.

Growing up in Thailand, my grandma taught us that food and health are our way of life and closely tied together. She would mix fresh herbs with food into delicious specialty meals that enabled us to eat and drink healthy on a daily basis. My mother immigrated to the US when I was young by herself and started her own Thai restaurant. She now owns and operates two Thai restaurants in Riverside, CA with help from my father and siblings.

In March when the pandemic hit, I thought that making Thai food at home may be a fun alternative to going out to restaurants since they were all closed. We tested and selected the meals that could be modified and cooked fresh in 10 minutes by anyone with our chefs in our kitchen. This became our mission- simple, fresh and authentic meals at your doorstep. Thai Orkits was born, a Thai meal kit company that serves Southern California.

By trade, I work as an architect and designer. This background has helped inspire our Thai Orkit products and marketing. I’m really excited to roll out new ideas of Thai Meal Kits and see where they will lead us.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There are indeed a lot of obstacles and a learning curve as I navigate from architecture design to establishing my own Thai food meal kits business. Thai Orkits started from a traditional, successful family-owned restaurant mindset. Some of my biggest challenges in the beginning were getting my family on board with the Thai meal kit idea but once they saw how determined I am to pursue this, they supported me. Without my partner and family’s support there wouldn’t be a Thai Orkits.

It has come together through a lot of trial and error. In the beginning, I remember listing out all of the questions and negative feedback on starting Thai Orkits and trying to solve each challenge one by one. I began learning how to start a business for the first time, how to navigate food supply chains, how to market products, how to take professional food photos, how to set up a company website, and how to operate the financial aspects of starting a new business.

I had some self-doubt starting out, but once we taste-tested the recipes and launched the website, I knew we were onto something with a lot of potentials.

Success to me is when I know that someone has a positive and unique experience from our meal kits. Success is felt only after the hard work- after months of brainstorming and late nights, we launched our kits and got our first order- I felt success. Success is the feeling when I notice each milestone, and that keeps energizing me to keep pushing farther ahead.

Please tell us about Thai Orkits.
Thai Orkits is making simple, fresh and authentic Thai dishes from ingredients that are pre-measured and grouped together by each meal kit. All the kits can be ready from Kitchen-to-Table within 10 minutes.

We are a subscription-free service. Place orders wherever and whenever that works best for you. All kits are designed for two servings. You can mix & match your Thai Kits how you like. We recommend a mix of Starter or Salad, Curry or Soup, Stir-Fry or Rice & Noodles, and Dessert!

What sets Thai Orkits apart is that we are originating from a family-run restaurant and we’re focusing on authenticity and simplicity of the experience of making Thai food at home that tastes just like at the Thai restaurant or eating street food in Thailand. Thai food is complex and delicate. Thai Orkits allows you to simplify the cooking process with fresh ingredients yet guarantee the taste of authentic Thai food.

Our mission: Making Simple, Fresh, and Authentic Thai recipes accessible to every household in Southern California

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite childhood memories are from the weekends growing up in Northern Thailand. Almost every weekend, my Dad, younger siblings and I would drive out to the forest where my dad had built us a treehouse near a creek running through the land. We would spend the weekend there together, cooking whatever we picked up on the way or gathered from the land. A typical weekend included picking fruits & vegetables, cooking chicken raised by locals over the bonfire, playing card games, playing by the creek and simply appreciating nature.

Pricing:

• Each Meal Kit ~$20 for 2 servings (~$10 per serving)

Contact Info:

• Address: Pick up option at Royal Orchid Thai restaurant (9791 Magnolia Ave Riverside, CA 92503)
  Delivery is currently available in Los Angeles, Riverside, and Orange Counties
• Website: www.thaiorkits.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thaiorkits/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thaiorkits/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/thai-orkits-riverside-3

Image Credit:
Photo Credit – Henry Tang (Instagram @stopithenry)

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