By Lynn R. Mitchell
Late Monday a message was posted on Thai Siam restaurant’s Facebook page that has caught many fans of the tiny Nelson County eatery off guard. Without fanfare or warning, they made an announcement:
Thai Siam is permanently closed. Thank you for your patronage over the last 15 years.
The response was immediate as word began spreading that the local icon tucked away in the Virginia woods along Rt. 56 a short distance from Rt. 29 was no more. “Miss Mae,” as many knew the owner, had spent 15 years sharing her authentic family recipes from her homeland of Thailand, closing each year for a month or more as she returned to visit family and friends in her homeland. Patrons who included generations of Sweet Briar students waited until her return, knowing she and her brother would fire up the grills and reopen the doors.
By Tuesday morning almost 300 comments had been left expressing sadness at the loss of the business with 250 shares as news spread. Mae’s son, who runs the FB page, responded to those who questioned the sudden closing, “Sorry for the surprise but there was personal and unexpected news. If the decision to close was made earlier or if it was planned, I would have posted before now.”
Which leaves a bit of mystery in the air. The son shared they have asked his mom to hold lessons to share her cooking secrets. Stay tuned … you never know.
Photos by Lynn R. Mitchell
2013
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