PK (Poncharee Kounpungchart) and I wish to tell our supporters that Shophouse, the name given to our Thai cuisine endeavors, will be renamed Little Uncle. Our Little Uncle website is up and running at http://littleuncleseattle.com/ Please come taste our Thai food at Capitol Hill’s La Bete on Monday evenings or at Columbia City Farmer’s Market on Wednesday afternoons until October 19th.
PK and I started Shophouse as a way to get a style of Thai cuisine not seen in Seattle out to the dining public. Fortunately, we have become successful and those who have eaten our food are ecstatic. Our “pop-up” dinners, first at Licorous and now at La Bete, have been well received as has our stall at t he Columbia City Farmer’s Market and other events which we cater.
Unfortunately, Chipotle Mexican Grill, a national fast-food burrito chain, is opening a South East Asian chain using the word “Shophouse.” To avoid confusion, we have decided to change our name to Little Uncle.
Little Uncle pays respect to PK’s father. His nickname was “Lung Lek” or in English, “Little Uncle.” Using nicknames is a common Thai practice where formal names can be lengthy. We decided to rename ourselves Little Uncle because it reminds us of the importance of family traditions, especially as it relates to food.
PK’s father, Lung Lek, came to this country in the 1970s to create a life where his family could thrive. We could not have brought this style of Thai cuisine to Seattle without the path Lung Lek followed to get to this country. Our continuing foray into roots Thai cuisine also depends a great deal on our family in Thailand teaching us the traditions that make our food so good.
We will begin to slowly phase out our use of Shophouse over the next few weeks so our dining fans can continue to follow our progress.
Stay posted with news about Little Uncle (formerly Shophouse) by checking in with us on our website, facebook and twitter. Please email us with any questions or inquiries - info@shophouseseattle.com