Thai Native Combines Family, Friends and Food at Pat Thai

If you want to learn about Pat Sanshompoo, the chef and businesswoman who runs Pat Thai restaurant in Lake Hiawatha, you’ll have to put on your running shoes. We caught up with Pat while she was on the road, shopping for ingredients for the restaurant she opened in Lake Hiawatha three years ago.

This is Pat Thai’s second incarnation. Pat started her own restaurant in Bloomfield in 2002, not long after coming to the United States from her native Surin, Thailand. It’s a labor of love that has not only captured Pat, but also her 69-year-old-mother, Somthavin and her 43-year-old husband, Jerry Hocek. She’s even thinking of encouraging one of her brothers to come here and join her in the kitchen. But he hasn’t made up his mind yet.

The 41-year-old Pat, who is the namesake of Pat Thai restaurant, has been in the United States for about 10  years and while her English is not flawless, her drive and ambition are.

Thai cuisine has been growing in popularity in the United States over the last decade, but still it’s not always easy to find really good Thai food, especially in the suburbs. Pat Thai is the exception to that statement however. Dishes are loaded with the flavors of curry, coconut milk, garlic and chilis.

Everything is flexible too, so substitutions can be made. Choose from seafood, chicken, duck, beef, vegetables, tofu. And where soups are sometimes an after-thought at some restaurants, those made with spicy lemongrass, coconut milk and glass noodles at Pat Thai are not.

But if you think Pat is some well-schooled chef who spent years in Thailand’s version of the Culinary Institute of America, you might be surprised.

“When I was young, I loved to cook and I asked my friends if I could come to their house. I learned from the grandmas who taught me all about what to do when the water boils, that kind of thing,” she explained in her hurried, but effervescent manner. Her mother owned a sweets shop, but that was not for Pat.

Instead of learning just one style of Thai cooking, however, Pat learned from individuals who had roots in different parts of the country. Later, when she graduated from the University of Thailand with degrees in English and Political Science, she found work in the tourism industry and then her culinary education really took off.

“I learned about some famous foods and I copied and created my own dishes,” she said.

Originally her plan was to travel abroad; she was able to realize that dream by coming to the United States, but learned she would have to start at the bottom.

“I liked teaching but I couldn’t teach in the States,” she said. What she could do, however, was work in a restaurant where her energy and perfectionism were put to good use. “I’m a thinker and a planner and if I feel like I can make it work, I will.”

She started out in restaurants in Hell’s Kitchen where it was her job to package up sandwiches and salads for takeout. As time went by, she was waiting tables and managing a restaurant. All of those endeavors gave her the chops to know what she would need to do when she opened her own place.

Two years later, she found a small space on Bloomfield Avenue in Bloomfield, which was the first Pat Thai. She might have stayed longer but the building was sold and she needed to find another space.

Also over the years, Jerry, who had been a customer, her website designer and internet expert, became her husband. The couple found a space next to the Superfoodtown in downtown Lake Hiawatha and the new Pat Thai was born.

Pat and her mother work side-by-side in the kitchen. In between, Pat shops for groceries; she decorated the 65 seat space with art and furnishings that recall her homeland. Stained glass, elephants and special, intricately made Origami balls are all part of the personal décor.

But all this ambition has taken its toll and Pat started seeking another outlet for her energy—one that might help ease the aches and pains of being on foot all the time. Recently she received a diploma in acupressure and is planning on offering services in her home. “Energy works and gives the body maintenance; it’s about having the correct chakras,” she explained.

“I took 10 days off to go to Hawaii and when I got back, my chiropractor said that my body liked the vacation,” she said.

Another three week visit to Mexico convinced her that life should not be all work and no play.

But every day she contemplates ways to fashion dishes to satisfy her loyal customers.

“We can custom order dishes for you, skip the chilis if you don’t like things spicy,” she said. For those who like comfort foods that go down easily, she recommends traditional Pad Thai made with stir-fried noodles, egg and ground peanuts.

When she first came to the States, Pat befriended her customers and was in turn befriended by them.

“My customers are like my family,” she said. “I see possibilities and if I think I can do something and make it work, I will make it work.”

No doubt.

Pat Thai 435 North Beverwyck Road, Parsippany 973-2571444 or 973-257-1334. www.patthai.net. Open Tuesday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sunday noon to 10 p.m. Closed Monday. Takeout and delivery available.