Ratana Chourattana, a former Brown
Sugar chef, plans to open her new
restaurant on February 1.

By Matti Kniva Spencer

Thaitation, located at 129 Jersey Street in the West Fenway, will open it’s doors to the public on February 1. The restaurant, in the space formerly occupied by Brown Sugar, will continue to serve Thai food, but the new owner, Ratana Chourattana, is planning to add new dishes to the menu. Says Ratana, who served as a cook for Brown Sugar for 13 years, “ I want to continue serving great food to the general public. I know people enjoyed the food that was served at Brown Sugar. The food will remain the same but a few added dishes will be included in the new menu.” The hours of operation will remain the same and people will be able to eat in or take out.

One addition will be that Thaitation will become more accessible for neighborhood events. With advance notice, Ms. Chourattana will be able to book events and accommodate larger numbers of people to eat together. These events could be meetings, birthday celebrations, or other events. The restaurant has been renovated to give it a real feel of Thailand. The walls have been painted “sunshine yellow” and authentic artwork from Thailand adorns the wall space. Thai music will also be a part of the background, so people will feel like they’re in Thailand.

Ms. Chourattana spent her childhood in Bangkok. “I would often help my mother with cooking chores.” she says, “and knew someday that I wanted to do this for a living. I came to the U.S. and worked four years at a Thai restaurant on Huntington Avenue before moving on to Brown Sugar. I feel badly about the fire that destroyed several restaurants on Peterborough Street. I knew several of the people who worked at Rod-Dee and my nephew often ate at El Pelon. I hope they rebuild, as people enjoyed eating at these establishments.”

Thaitation will employ five chefs in addition to Chourattana—all with several years of experience. During its opening week, Feb. 1–7, the restaurant will offer a 10% discount to all who eat in or take out.

Ms. Chourattana says she and her staff are eagerly waiting to meet people and serve some delicious Thai dishes. Staff retained from Brown Sugar include Siriporn Sermtrakul, a chef, and Nuntana Sayabovorn, wait-staff.