Husband and wife open ThaiKota, bringing flavors of northern Thailand to Fargo

T.J. and Gina Edra opened ThaiKota on New Year’s Day at 1201 1st Ave. N. in downtown Fargo. T.J., a Hawai’ian by birth, and Gina, from northern Thailand herself, handle everything at the upstart, six-table restaurant.

“It’s just me and my wife running the whole thing,” T.J. said. “We take the orders, we make the food, we give it to the customers, we serve the customers. We do everything.”

At the recommendation of his grandparents, who live in Valley City, T.J.’s family relocated to Fargo when he was a sophomore in high school. He subsequently attended Northwest Technical College, now known as M State, in Moorhead to study culinary arts.

After 10 years as the head sushi chef at Wasabi, T.J. left the Japanese restaurant to pursue Gina’s dream of owning a restaurant.

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