EDWARDSVILLE - Chef Devon Whitsell is serving up his own style of traditional Thai cusine at his new restaurant Bann Thai in Edwardsville at 4 Club Centre Court.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
Whitsell, head chef and owner at Bann Thai, said after meeting his wife, plus years of experience in the kitchen at other Thai restaurants, he wanted to bring his own take on a traditional Thai menu to the community.
"I wanted to open a higher end Thai restaurant here in Edwardsville," he said. "My wife is first generation here, her and her sister. So I've picked up some of the food from her family and some from working in other Thai restaurants. I've been doing Thai food for probably about four to five years now. I just fell in love with it, and obviously my wife, so I took what I learned from other the other restaurants, from the family and then put my own twist on it."
Whitsell said one of things that really sets Bann Thai apart is their dedication to making everything in-house with fresh ingredients.
"The difference here is that you're not going to find these items like these at other Thai restaurants," Whitsell said. "Like our soups, the pho is more aromatic, it has more herb to it. The khao soi, I make the curry paste here, it's a very different soup but everyone loves it. Overall, the menu is made a lot more traditional. We use a lot of lime and fresh ingredients. We're not using a bunch of box stuff or pre-made sauces. Everything we do here is from scratch."
At only 24 years old, Whitsell said things have been going well since Bann Thai's opening only a few weeks ago and he's excited to see things grow.
"It's been a little bit of the journey, but it's been doing well. I was a little surprised that first week actually. This is definitely a good town to have a business in," he said. "It's going to take to sometime, but I think in the long run we're going to do well here. It's only going to get better. The menu is going to grow, we might make a few changes with what's on there but we're just going to keep adding."
In addition to the Thai coffees and teas that are available, Bann Thai is also invites everyone to bring their own beer to add to their dining experience.
For a more information on Bann Thai and to checkout their full menu with everything from soups and curry to dessert visit BannThaiInc.com or visit their Facebook page.
More like this:
