Celebrating 10 years at Khun Thon Thai

BY GINNY PRIVITAR
WEST MILFORD — Nik Redmerski of Khun Thon Thai Restaurant has two reasons to celebrate. This past August was the 10th anniversary of his restaurant in West Milford and this past December, the chef/owner’s new restaurant, Warwick Thai, opened in Warwick, New York.

Redmerski is Thai, born in Thailand and thoroughly steeped in the culture and cuisine. His stepfather, Thomas Redmerski, was in the service when he met Pensri, a single mom, and her son, Nik, whom he adopted.

The family settled in West Milford, and Redmerski began a series of jobs in Thai restaurants in New Jersey. After a few years, he thought he was getting tired of working in the restaurant business for others and decided to go to school in Florida to pursue a career as a golf instructor — a game he loves.

Redmerski, an only child, said his mother didn’t want him to move so far away and she talked him out of it. She said, “Why don’t you try to open a little take out?” He listened and has been in business since 2004. Khun Thon Thai started out small, next to ShopRite for its first two years. The business did so well, he expanded and moved to the present location on Cahill Cross Road.

Redmerski said his greatest success has been being in business for 10 years and opening a second restaurant in Warwick. He had his eye on Warwick for a while, he said, because of the good foot traffic.

His greatest pleasure “is hearing people say, ‘I love your place; the food is great.’ That makes me happy and I tell my staff and say, ‘Hey, great job.’”

He says his signature dish is “Drunken Noodles: flat noodles with vegetables and lots of flavor, with a little kick to it; but not very spicy. You can create your own dish and we’ll cook it.”

Redmerski said his Thai ingredients are imported from Thailand and notes that customers can tell the wait staff exactly how they would prefer their meal, whether they want an ingredient added or removed or want it spicy or mild.

A family affairRedmerski is close to his family. His wife, Siriying, is the head chef when he’s not around or working at the other restaurant. She also does all the paperwork, scheduling, bill-paying and food shopping. His mom, Pensri, and dad, Thomas, are a great help. Redmerski said his dad does all the maintenance; he can fix anything.

Secrets of successThe secret to keeping people coming back, Redmerski said, is the quality and atmosphere.

“We’re not corporate; we’re more like a family restaurant,” he said. “And Thai (food) is unique in this area. Besides great patience, determination, hard work and good service, you have to love your job; otherwise you won’t be successful.”

Being a chef/owner is not without its challenges, he said. One is “understanding your co-workers. Because I worked for someone before, I’ve been there.” Another is “making sure the customer is happy.”

Redmerski notes that some people think they know Thai food because they had it in Manhattan. That's not always the case.

“They have no idea,” he said. “I’m Thai, involved in the Thai community…Many of the chefs in other restaurants are not from Thailand. When you teach people to cook, anybody can cook, but for authentic cuisine, you need someone from the culture.”

Redmerski certainly brings that. Experience the culture and cuisine at Khun Thon Thai or Warwick Thai and let Redmerski know what you think.