For Nittaya Parawong, cooking has always been about more than food. It’s about family, tradition, and the quiet joy of bringing people together around a table.
Today, Nittaya owns Nittaya’s Secret Kitchen, a beloved Thai restaurant in southern Nevada known for its authentic flavors and warm hospitality. But her journey to becoming a successful restaurant owner began thousands of miles away in northeastern Thailand.
Nittaya was born and raised in the province of Ubon Ratchathani, where her earliest memories center on her mother’s restaurant kitchen. From a young age, she watched her mother cook for customers and family, learning the rhythm of a restaurant and the power of a home-cooked meal.
“My mother is the biggest influence on my love of Thai cooking,” Nittaya says. “She always knew how to make people happy with her food.”
Those early lessons stayed with her. Watching her mother cook taught her that food carried meaning beyond the plate. “Cooking is not just about making food,” she explains. “It’s about bringing people together and sharing love through every dish.”
In 1995, Nittaya moved to the United States to finish her accounting degree. At the time, she thought her future might lie in a more traditional career. But it didn’t take long for her to realize that life behind a desk wasn’t where her heart belonged. “I knew I wouldn’t be happy sitting at a desk working with numbers all day,” she recalls. “Deep down, my passion was somewhere else.”
In 1999, Nittaya opened her first restaurant, Jasmine Thai Gourmet. At the time, Thai food was still unfamiliar to many American diners. “Chinese food was much more well known than Thai cuisine,” she explains. “I had to work hard to introduce people to the flavors of Thai cooking.”
While Jasmine Thai Gourmet found success, the economic downturn between 2008 and 2010 brought serious challenges. Like many small businesses during that time, the restaurant struggled, and Nittaya eventually made the difficult decision to close its doors.
Instead of giving up, she chose to start again. With limited capital, she opened a smaller restaurant and named it Nittaya’s Secret Kitchen, a tribute to the home-style cooking she grew up with.
Nittaya’s philosophy in the kitchen has always been simple. “I cook the way I like to eat and the way I grew up with,” she says. “My goal is to stay true to the flavors and traditions I learned from my family.”
One dish she especially encourages customers to try is papaya salad with salted egg, a recipe that holds special meaning for her. “My mom even won an award for her papaya salad,” she says proudly. “It’s one of my favorite dishes.”
Running a restaurant is never easy, but Nittaya says the challenges have been worth it. “Building and running restaurants has been both challenging and rewarding,” she says. “Every step keeps me motivated.”
Her leadership style reflects the same values she learned growing up. “The best way to lead is by setting an example,” she says. “When your team sees you working just as hard as they do, they respect that.”
At Nittaya’s Secret Kitchen, employees and customers alike feel are welcome as a part of the family. “Our customers are like family to us,” she says. “We are very grateful for their support.” That sense of warmth has always been central to her vision. “I built my restaurant to be a place where I would enjoy being all day,” she says. “I want everyone who walks in to feel comfortable and at home.”
One of her proudest moments came when her children told her that their friends loved the restaurant. “They said their friends thought their mom was famous,” she says with a laugh. “That made all the hard work worth it.”
From a small province in Thailand to building a successful restaurant in Nevada, Nittaya’s journey is a testament to perseverance and staying true to one’s roots. “Passion, hard work, and believing in yourself will help you achieve your dreams.”
Thai Papaya Salad with Salted Egg (Som Tum Thai Kai Kem)
- Shred 2 cups green papaya; halve 4 to 5 cherry tomatoes.
- In a mortar and pestle, roughly pound 3 to 10 bird’s eye chilies with 2 to 3 garlic cloves.
- Add 3 to 4 long beans (cut into 1-inch pieces), 2 tablespoons dried shrimp and 2 tablespoons roasted peanuts; lightly crush.
- Season with 1 ½ to 2 tablespoons palm sugar, 1 ½ to 2 tablespoons fish sauce, 2 tablespoons lime juice; mix until sugar dissolves and flavors balance sweet, sour, salty, and spicy.
- Add shredded papaya and tomatoes; lightly pound and toss, without mashing.
- Gently fold in 1 to 2 salted eggs, cut into wedges.
- Transfer to a plate; garnish with extra peanuts and dried shrimp.