Already garnering great guest feedback since opening last month, Poon Sup Thai Cuisine is owned by Myles Ritter and his wife and executive chef, Nongluk Ritter. Founding the restaurant to forge Nongluk’s long-time dream into reality, her lore began in Thailand where she learned to cook from a young age with her mom and then continued professionally after immigrating.
Myles’ background is in construction and he is now learning the restaurant industry while supporting Nongluk at Poon Sup, defining the restaurant’s atmosphere as comfortable and thoroughly Thai with yellow walls, red accents and traditional décor.
He says their cuisine features fresh, cooked-to-order ingredients based on Nongluk’s generational family recipes combined with her own culinary creations. Myles starts the menu’s tour by highlighting apps like thinly-wrapped spring rolls, coconut-based tom kha soup and their chicken satay with a “we sell tubs of it” peanut sauce.
He says their top three-selling main dishes are classics: Pad Thai with sweet/sour tamarind sauce, raved-about pineapple fried rice and flat-noodled Pad See Ew. Myles’ personal favorite, a dish he says Nongluk makes for him at home, is the deeply aromatic green curry fried rice with veggies and protein. Dessert stays classic with mango sticky rice and local ice cream, and beverage offerings boast Thai tea, coffee, boba and fresh-squeezed lemonade.
What inspired you to open Poon Sup?
MYLES RITTER: My wife loves to cook and make people happy. She worked around town at many other Thai restaurants; I was in awe of her talent and felt like she really deserved the opportunity to showcase not only her cooking ability, but also her passion for people. We found the perfect space here in Scotts Valley; we’ve made it our own and have gotten amazing guest response. We’ve only been open about a month, but we look forward to continuing to serve the community.
What sets her cooking apart?
I’d say that what people have been saying first and foremost is the quality, tenderness and freshness of the meats. Our beef is pink to the center, the chicken really takes on the infused flavors of the dishes and our seafood is extremely fresh and bursting with flavor. She really has had a passion for this since childhood and I feel it’s what she was born to do.
11 Camp Evers Lane, Scotts Valley, 831-201-4164; poonsupthai.com
