Greeting
Welcome to Dara! Sa-wad-dee-ka (hello) from Thailand to Philadelphia. Being so far from home has made us want to bring our family's homestyle cooking from all over our homeland to our new home here in the US.
We hope to bring those flavors and memories from our past to every customer who walks through our door to share a dining experience with us and our team.
“Dara” in Thai means star.
Head Chef - Wichittra Phansaeng
Wichittra Phansaeng is the chef and co-founder of Thai restaurant “Dara”. Growing up in Central Thailand, Phansaeng started her culinary experience alongside her grandmother and further grew her skills at Dusit Thani College to obtain a business degree in Culinary Art in Bangkok. She started her professional culinary work at a Marriott Rayong training as a line cook and then after coming to the US, she trained at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut as a line cook at the banquet hall and at Bobby’s Burger Palace. Before joining the team at Dara, chef Phansaeng was a sous chef at Nourish Thai in New York City. She will bring all these experiences along with her passion for cooking to Dara to bring to life the cultural Thai experience to Philadelphia.
Manager - Oramon Saeiab
Oramon Saeiab is the manager and co-founder of “Dara”. She is from the southern part of Thailand where she worked with her father in a well-known fishing shop where she would sell some self-made goods at the store. After obtaining a degree in Thailand, Oramon opened up a baker and a clothing store in Chiang Mai where her love for business blossomed. She came to the US to study for a master’s degree in business in 2019 but soon after COVID changed her course for business. Oramon had to sell her businesses in Thailand and start some small businesses, including selling packed meals for locals, in New York City to survive. This is where Phansaeng and Oramon met and became good friends. After marrying, she decided to move to Philadelphia where the idea for Dara was born and along came the cooking mastery of chef Phansaeng.
Oramon has a passion for people and business that allows her to try many different things and thus find what works best for her situations. Being friendly and passionate about all things she works on allows her to make easy connections making the success at Dara a simple experience for our team. If you stop by for a delicious Thai meal at Dara, please stop by to say sa-wad-dee-ka (hello)!
