Jong's Thai Kitchen

Photos by: JOHN BURNS

Nestled in central Topeka is a small quaint Thai restaurant that delivers tasty food in a comfortable, homey atmosphere with personal service that makes guests feel at home.

This combination is hard to find in most restaurants, but good friends Banjong Jongthep and Derek and Nimm Ragsdale have done just that with Jong’s Thai Kitchen, located in Holliday Park Historic District at 800 SW 12th St.

Jongthep and the Ragsdales always wanted to open a restaurant where they could share the Thailand culture with others through food and service. How they ended up opening such a restaurant all stemmed from a friendship that developed while working together at Tuptim Thai in Topeka.

COMING TO AMERICA

Jongthep left Thailand 20 years ago to come to the United States. After traveling to many different states, she eventually ended up in Topeka where she met Derek and Nimm Ragsdale while working at Tuptim Thai. Nimm, also from Thailand, has been in the United States for eight years.

Nimm met Derek, a Topeka native, while working at Tuptim Thai and the two have been married for three years.

Although working together at Tuptim Thai was a good experience, the Ragsdales and Jongthep really wanted to open their own restaurant.

“It is nice to own your own restaurant because you have the freedom to make it the way you want it to be. We can do what we think is best, and we are good partners because we work well together,” Nimm Ragsdale said.

When the trio opened Jong’s Thai Kitchen in September of 2020, it was right in the middle of the pandemic, but according to Jongthep, it did not affect their restaurant very much.

“It was hard for us because of COVID, but sometimes in really hard times, people rally and support you, and that is what Topeka did. They really supported us,” Jongthep said.

Jongthep has not always been a skilled chef and did not cook much while growing up. She discovered her skill for cooking while working at Tuptim Thai.

“I started cooking at Tuptim Thai and that’s where I found out I had a knack for cooking,” Jongthep said. “I like to create food and change it up to make it taste better. I like to serve you food and see your reaction that it tastes really good.”

JUST THE THREE OF US

Jong’s Thai Kitchen is a quaint little restaurant with only five tables and a very small kitchen, but according to Derek Ragsdale, it is the perfect size for them, and there are no plans to expand.

“It is just the three of us running Jong’s Thai Kitchen, so five tables is really all we can handle,” he said. “Customers sometimes ask us why we aren’t adding tables or hiring more people to work here, but the answer is we don’t want to grow because we want to give a good quality experience to everyone who comes here, as if you were dining at our home.”

Another reason they do not wish to hire more staff to increase their output is because they feel they would lose the quality control. Nimm Ragsdale compared it to the painter Van Gogh, who could have trained others to paint his portraits, but it wouldn’t be the same value or quality.

“Jong can see things and smell and taste things that only she can recognize how it needs to be prepared to taste just right. It would taste different if someone other than Jong were to prepare it,” Nimm Ragsdale said. “It is just Jong and me in the kitchen. If we increase the number of tables, it won’t be the quality and experience we want it to be.”

RESERVATIONS RECOMMENDED

Since Jong’s Thai Kitchen has only five tables, reservations are highly recommended. They do not reserve a table until one is vacated and will call and let you know that the table is available. It is this kind of service that gives Jong’s Thai Kitchen a personal feel.

“We don’t want to rush people out of the restaurant. We want the customer to feel like they are sitting in their own kitchen. We can deliver delicious food, that is for sure, but if we are trying to do too much, the quality of the food decreases,” Nimm Ragsdale said.

Jongthep is always trying new recipes and will even cook special order food that is not on the menu. It is just one more thing that Jongthep and the Ragsdales do to make their customers happy.

“We can make whatever you want us to make, just call us ahead of time and we will make it for you,” Jongthep said. “If you have a reservation for next week, and you want lobster and your husband wants steak, we will cook it for you. We want you to be happy, we just need to be prepared for it.”

Jong’s Thai Kitchen also allows you to bring your own alcoholic beverages in while you dine, and there is no corking fee.

“It’s just like if you were to come to my house to eat, you can bring whatever you want to drink,” Nimm Ragsdale said.

Nimm Ragsdale originally planned on returning to Thailand, but she loves Topeka and says she has a new family here.

“When we opened Jong’s Thai Kitchen we got a lot of support, they didn’t look at us like you are Asian, they looked at us like we were fellow Topekans. Topeka has been very supportive. I knew this was my home,” she said. Jongthep agrees.

“I cannot say thank you enough for all the Topeka community support,” she said. “When customers come back, and we see you return, it makes us so very happy.”