Thai native starts new mobile kitchen in Kennewick. And other Tri-Cities openings

Thongploei “Kwan” Bridge has been cooking since she was a teen in her native Thailand.

She’s been sharing her food with friends and family and in restaurants ever since. Now, she’s brought her special touch to a kitchen in the Tri-Cities.

Bridge and her husband, Cameron, have opened a new mobile kitchen, Thai Co. The Iron Wok, serving lunch and dinner four days a week in Kennewick.

You can find their 31-foot motorhome-turned-restaurant parked at 7425 W. Clearwater Ave., in the lot of Bella’s Office Furniture just east of Columbia Center Boulevard.

Kwan Bridge is originally from Surin, the southeast province of Thailand, where she lived until she was 15. Then, she went to work as a housekeeper and cook in Bangkok to support her family.

The family loved her food and sent her to school to learn English. In 1992, she moved to Hawaii with her 6-year-old daughter and several years later married her husband, who was stationed there with the Navy.

After he retired from the military he began working in Pendleton.

That’s where Kwan started her first food truck in 2003. “(It) was successful enough that we thought we could make it work as a restaurant,” she told the Herald.

But the costs of a full-service restaurant proved too much. “Even though closing the restaurant doors was hard to do, we learned a lot and didn’t give up on my dream of opening another Thai food truck,” she said.

She went to work in the kitchens at Wild Horse Casino, learning from its executive chefs.

Five years ago, she started working in various Thai restaurants in the Tri-Cities.

“Then early this year, with my husband’s support, we got a wild idea and ran with it,” she said.

They bought the motorhome and converted it into the mobile kitchen. She does all the cooking, her husband is the business manager and their daughter, Tawan, helps with the website and social media.

The menu changes daily but every day they offer some of their most popular dishes, such as pineapple curry chicken, Phad Thai with chicken, salad rolls with peanut sauce and fried spring rolls. Entrees start at about $11.

They accept takeout orders and plan to cater private parties and events.

Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. They are closed Sunday through Tuesday. Phone: 509-788-8212

For the full menu go to bit.ly/Thaiwok.

Harbor Freight grand opening

Harbor Freight Tools plans a grand opening at its new Kennewick store on Saturday, Dec. 14.

The store is at 2903 W. Kennewick Ave. in the former Goodwill thrift store location near Safeway off Highway 395.

It’s the 40-year-old company’s 25th store in Washington state. There’s also an outlet in Richland.

“(W)e’re passionate about providing our customers with the tools they need to get the job done, and always at an affordable price,” store manager Joseph Selman said in a news release.

Harbor Freight stores carry more than 7,000 items, including hand tools, generators, air and power tools, shop equipment and automotive tools.

The Kennewick store is open daily. Hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

Harbor Freight Tools, based in Calabasas, Calif., is a family-owned discount tool and equipment retailer with more than 1,000 stores in 48 states. The company buys directly from factories.

It’s marketing slogan is, “We cut out the middleman and pass the savings to you!”

The company employs about 20,000.

The Kennewick grand opening is at 8 a.m. and a free tape measure will be given to the first 500 customers.

Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce ribbon cuttings:

▪ Tri-City Music, which sells new and used pianos, plans a ribbon cutting at 12:30 p.m. Dec. 9 at the Uptown Shopping Center, 1330 Jadwin Ave., Richland. The stores are been in that location for just over five months.

▪ Lucas Engineering and Management Services is having a ribbon cutting at 4:30 p.m. Dec. 10 at 3160 George Washington Way, Suite B, Richland. The company provides services for the environmental, nuclear and energy industries.

Let us know when you see a new restaurant or other business opening by emailing news@tricityherald.com or by giving us a call at 509-582-1515.

This story was originally published December 10, 2019 at 8:41 AM.