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This is Chris Redgrave for Zions Bank Speaking on Business.
When you meet with Nally Chidester of Simply Thai, 37 W. 10600 South in Sandy, you'll understand very quickly how important family and education are to her. In fact, it was a desire for education that took her from her homeland in Thailand to Chicago over 33 years ago where she met her future husband, Robert Chidester, and then worked two jobs to put him through dental school.
It turns out he had an adventurous spirit as well, and they spent seven years in Saudi Arabia fulfilling a work assignment with their young family. Eventually, they made it back to Utah where Nally opened her restaurant Simply Thai in 2007. And this worked out well since all four of their children attended school here and graduated from the University of Utah.
In addition to authentic Thai food, Nally prides herself on offering fresh and healthy dishes without MSG. At Simply Thai, they've found a niche in providing gluten and lactose free food. Interestingly enough, they've kept their prices the same since they opened six years ago. You should see the crowd who comes for the lunch specials every day. Simply Thai is open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday and for dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. On Saturdays, it's open from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m.
All the recipes Nally uses at Simply Thai come straight out of her head. She learned them from her grandmother in Thailand when she was a teenager and made them for her own family for years before ever deciding to open a restaurant. She's now contributing to the over $3 billion in sales Utah restaurants are projected to add into the state economy in 2013, according to the National Restaurant Association.
An essential business value for Nally is to support the local community. She feels the importance of providing jobs and now has 18 employees on board at Simply Thai. She'll be catering a fundraiser for a local charity in the next few weeks.
For Zions Bank, I'm Chris Redgrave, speaking on business.
Simply Thai 37 W. 10600 South Sandy, UT 84070 801-307-1221
