By Amira Van Leeuwen
KYLE —Spoon + Fork, a family-owned Thai kitchen, is expected to open in mid-2023 in Kyle.
During its executive session on Dec. 20, Kyle City Council awarded Spoon + Fork the city’s restaurant incentive by approving a 100% sales tax rebate for the first three years, initiating approximately half a million dollars in capital investment.
“The restaurant incentive was created to attract restaurants with diverse offerings to our community,” said Victoria Vargas, Kyle’s economic development director. “We are honored that Spoon + Fork selected Kyle as a location for their third restaurant, following the success of their first two stores.”
Spoon + Fork has two other restaurants located in Dripping Springs and McKinney, respectively.
Photo by Amira Van Leeuwen
Inside of Spoon + Fork’s Belterra location.
The restaurant’s name comes from Thai tradition in how the Thai hold their silverware.
“We’re going to hold a spoon on the more dominate hand, like if you’re a right-handed person, you’re holding the spoon in that hand then the fork in the other, and then we use both [the]spoon and fork to eat,” Thana Trepetch, restaurant chef and co-owner said.
Trepetch studied at the Culinary Institute in Thailand and described it as “tough” but “interesting.” She grew up in a large family in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, where her passion for cooking was born.
Her family would cook many different types of cuisine in what is called the big house.
“We call it a big house because that’s where we come together for a meal. We gather every evening at the big house and then they cook all day and they do everything from scratch,” Trepetch said. “I started out from eating good food and my family cook it first.”
Trepetch said many immigrants from China and Japan come to Thailand, but especially Bangkok, describing it as a large boiling pot that absorbs culture and cuisine.
Mayor Travis Mitchell said Spoon + Fork is a “perfect” example of how the restaurant incentive program is growing and diversifying Kyle’s local restaurant scene.
“We are thrilled to have them [Spoon + Fork] in our community,” Mitchell said.
The restaurant, which will be open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, is part of the Central Southwest Texas Development (CSW) project, located at Kyle Crossing Phase II at the southwest corner of FM 1626 and Marketplace Avenue.
“We want Spoon + Fork Thai Kitchen in Kyle to be more than just a restaurant,” Trepetch said. “We want to create a family go-to place, a friends’ reuniting spot, a date night destination, a place that brings everyone together as we strongly believe that relationships can blossom over a good meal.”
The city is anticipating the restaurant to open in the summer of 2023.
