Oct. 20, 2021

The owners of Mekong Asian Market plan to open a Thai restaurant, fulfilling their dreams and that of their parents.

“We love food and would love to share our experiences, our upbringing, our taste of Thai food and our smiles with the community,” said Ruth Kitilach, a first-generation Laotian American who started Mekong with her husband, Sanaseuk, or “Seuk,” in 2014.

They have purchased the former Subway building on North Minnesota Avenue and plan to start remodeling work this winter and open ThaiTen next summer.

Her mother will serve as the main cook.

“Some foods we will be serving will be Thai staples to include, but are not limited to, pad thai, green/red/yellow curries, egg rolls, spring rolls with peanut sauce.”

The restaurant, which will serve lunch and dinner, will have a dining room, but customers will order at the counter. There also will be a drive-thru.

“Owning a restaurant has always been a dream of ours,” Kitilach said. “Not only will it help us stay true to our roots of family, but it will help us add diversity and options to the Sioux Falls market.”

Ruth (left) and Seuk (right) with their children Liam (front), Phonthep and Nirandon

Kitilach was born in San Diego, where her parents, Berdin and Houan Soukkeo, immigrated as a result of civil war in their homeland.

Seuk was born in Thailand, where his Laotian parents, Thongdee and Roonna Kitilach, initially fled because of the same civil war. When he was 7, the family immigrated to the U.S.

“Being an immigrant and a child of immigrants, we have grown to appreciate the opportunities we have been given and take advantage of these opportunities so as to not ‘waste’ them, as our parents have struggled and tried so hard to get us here,” Kitilach said.

Family continues to be an important part of the couple’s life. They have cared for Seuk’s parents for over a decade, and they moved to Sioux Falls seven years ago to be closer to Ruth’s parents. That’s when they started the market, which now is in a building they own at Rice Street and Cliff Avenue, near Smithfield Foods.

“With my background as a nurse and Seuk, a former welder, we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into when we wanted to start a grocery store in 2014. We knew that our family needed us, and this was a way to plant new roots, build a legacy for our children, all the while caring for our parents. We dove headfirst, met many challenges. We are still learning, but we take it one day at a time, appreciating that we have this opportunity and that we are able to build on ‘that one dream,’” said Kitilach, who still works full time as a nurse practitioner. Seuk manages Mekong, which will continue to operate.

“In addition to our grocery store, starting this restaurant is a way of providing our parents the dream they had always wanted but could not afford, as their main goals were to survive in a new world, raise children in this new world and paving the way, all the while overcoming different struggles and obstacles.”