Cathleen Allison/Nevada Appeal Gina Chaikwang, center, owner of Thai Spice Kitchen, has recently opened the new sushi bar section of the downtown restaurant. Also seen are, from left, Ruben Vargas, Julio Lopez and Magaly Trujillo.
Thai Spice Kitchen
111 E. Telegraph St.
841-8999
Name: Gina Chaikwang
Position: Owner
The store: She has just expanded the restaurant to include a new sushi bar. She recently went to her home country of Thailand to learn how to make the food.
The history: The restaurant opened in 2000 and had rented space to Sushi & Teri Kim Lee's Japanese Restaurant & Sushi Bar before that restaurant moved around the corner to its Carson Street location earlier this year. Thai Spice Kitchen's sushi bar is now in that space.
The restaurant now: Customers can order either the Thai or sushi food from either side of the restaurant.
How she started: Gina moved from Thailand to San Francisco in 1982 where she ran a Thai restaurant. She moved to Carson City in 1988.