Tee Rak sells delicious Thai food at farmers markets and events around St. Louis

In Thai, “tee rak” means “my love” or “my dear,” said Tee Rak chef and founder Alada Poodtajan. “I call my family ‘tee rak,’ I call my husband ‘tee rak,’” she added. The name reflects her affection for Thai cuisine, but it’s also a call to customers to come and enjoy her food.

Poodtajan, who grew up in a small town near Chiang Rai in northern Thailand, cooked in a number of Thai, Chinese and Japanese restaurants after moving to St. Louis with her husband, Tom, in 2020, but felt moved to go out on her own. “I miss my home,” Poodtajan said. “I want to do some authentic Thai food for people in St. Louis, because not a lot of people will have the opportunity to go to Thailand.”

For Poodtajan, “authentic” means what ingredients are left out as much as what is added to a dish. You won’t find bamboo shoots, for example, anywhere near Tee Rak’s pad see ew (stir-fried rice noodles). “It’s just egg, Chinese broccoli, noodles, the sauce and protein,” she said. “If they add baby corn, carrots, bamboo shoots or something like that – that’s not what I want.”

Poodtajan debuted Tee Rak in 2023, initially on Tuesdays at Tower Grove Farmers’ Market. A trickle of customers in the early weeks grew to long lines and sold-out dishes by the end of the season. Poodtajan said the response was gratifying, but also drove her to aim higher. On a recent visit to Thailand, she attended a cooking school to hone her skills ahead of market season, fine-tuning her ability to work with herbs, coconut milk and other key ingredients to extract maximum flavor. She said she’s also planning to add more dishes to her rotation that show off the flavors of northern Thailand, things like kaeng hang le (a Chiang Mai pork curry) and khao soi.

Tee Rak’s regular menu includes pad see ew, drunken noodles, Thai fried rice and pad Thai, and there are also occasional specials. Each dish is cooked fresh, right before your eyes, with your choice of protein. Vegetarian and gluten-free options are also available, and Tee Rak now offers a number of frozen Thai meals ready to take home.

You can find Tee Rak at: Tower Grove Farmers’ Market on Tuesday and Saturday; U City Farmers Market on Wednesday; and The Boulevard Farmers’ Market on Sunday. They’ll also be popping up at other locations throughout the season. This month, they’ll be at the Annual Art Fair at Laumeier Sculpture Park on Mother’s Day weekend (May 10 to 12).

teerakthai.com