Local Asian American business owner shares the importance of authenticity and education

Dr. May’s Thai Kitchen food truck can often be seen on the College Green during a nice, sunny day on campus or locally on East State Street in Athens. In celebration of Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, May Rath from Dr. May’s Thai Kitchen shared her insights on owning an Asian American business in Athens, how she engages with the OHIO campus, and the fun-filled Thai New Year celebration.

May moved to Athens from Thailand in 2013 and quickly started to search for restaurants that offered Thai dishes. 

“I started to order from one place to another that had Thai dishes, but it wasn’t the Thai food that I know,” May said.

It quickly became apparent to May that not only would something have to change to bring the dishes that she was looking for to Athens, but that she would have to be that change.  So in 2017, Dr. May’s Thai Kitchen opened for business.

Now as a successful business owner for six years and chef in a small town, she feels her priority is not only to serve people authentic Thai food, but it is also to educate them.

When asked about her experience as an Asian American business owner, May stated, “I will say it is tough work. A lot of my time is not just about cooking, I have to educate people about what exactly is Thai food.”

May also shared that because her menu is made of fresh and locally-grown ingredients, it can be difficult to acquire fresh ingredients used specifically for Thai dishes. 

Not only is producing authentic Thai food to people in Athens very important to May, but it can also be a struggle being an Asian American owned small business in Ohio, specifically in the Appalachian area. 

Despite the obstacles that she faces as a Thai small business owner, May finds support through the AAPI public in Athens and at OHIO. 

“Very supportive, everybody kind of knows who’s new [to Athens] and we try to support each other,” she said of the local AAPI residents. “We understand that it is not easy to live the way you wanted back at home. But at the same time, you still want to live without losing your identity, so having a group that understands can be very helpful to me.”

Having a tight-knit community is one of the many things that keeps May continuing her work in not only serving delicious Thai food, but also educating those in the Athens and the OHIO area about Thailand and Thai culture.

May and her food truck have attended local events such as the Handpicked Campus Farmer’s Market hosted by the OHIO Student Senate’s Environmental Affairs Committee, the Athens Farmers Market, and the Morrison-Gordon Spring Book Fair. In the future, she hopes to be on the College Green more to bring Thai food to OHIO students and serve those who live and commute in the area. 

“I would like to engage more with students and the campus,” she explained. “I don’t know how much students know about us or about authentic Thai food.” 

A few weeks ago, May helped host a Thai New Year Celebration, which takes place annually in April. The vibrant green food truck was parked in its temporary location, 333 E. State Street, with a tent providing information about the Thai New Year celebration and a traditional water fight for children. 

May explained the Thai New Year celebration and what it means to Thai people, “This is one of the biggest holidays in Thailand, people will get off work or even travel with family.” 

May is incredibly passionate about what she does and understands how important her business is to a place like Athens and the importance of serving OHIO students. For more information on Dr. May’s Thai Kitchen, see drmaysthaikitchen.com.