Stories of Technology, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship in the Southeast

Sitting in a restaurant she owns, surrounded by family she employs, deploying robots she rents, and serving recipes passed down for over 200 years, Fai Kultida Blais feels fulfilled.

“My dream may have started in Bangkok, Thailand, but it was built here in Knoxville, Tennessee,” she said.

Nearly a decade into building her Thai restaurant dream in the Scruffy City, Blais has created a unique blend of family tradition, modern innovation, and community spirit. What began as a food truck has grown into a beloved brick-and-mortar restaurant in Bearden.

Blais attributes it all to the “American Dream,” which she believes is still alive and well for immigrants to the U.S.

She moved from Thailand to New York City in 2014 to study English. Just six months later, she relocated to Knoxville and quickly noticed something missing.

“When we went out to eat Thai food, it didn’t taste like the meals my grandma and grandpa made,” she said. “No place here served traditional Thai street food.”

So, she set out to change that. In 2018, she launched “Fai Thai Food Truck,” bringing the rich flavors of Bangkok to Knoxville’s streets.

“The community support was overwhelming from the start. Everyone was excited we were here,” she said.

The food truck’s popularity led her to open a downtown location on Gay Street. Unfortunately, the timing couldn’t have been worse. The pandemic hit, limiting foot traffic and forcing the restaurant to close in 2022.

“I learned so much—how to manage systems, how to be resilient,” she said. “Gay Street was our prototype. We took those lessons into the new location.”

In October 2023, Blais opened a new restaurant location on Kingston Pike, near the Sequoyah Hills and Bearden neighborhoods. This time, she introduced a surprising twist.

“We started working with RobotLAB to get some extra help for our serving staff,” she said.

Enter “Bella,” a robot with the face of a cat, who helps deliver food and clear dishes without taking a cut of the tips. The robot was a cost-effective solution for a small, family-run restaurant, and customers love it.

“People come in just to see Bella!” Blais said. “She can sing Happy Birthday, and kids love petting her ears.”

While Bella handles some of the more tedious tasks, Blais can focus on what she does best, which is making high-quality, authentic Thai food by hand.

“My mom and dad are both lifelong chefs. Now I’m a chef too, and we all get to work together,” she said.

At Fai Thai, everything is fresh and hand-cut. They use no automated prep machines, just skilled hands and time-honored recipes. Even as ingredient costs rise, Blais said portion sizes remain generous.

“We never cut corners. You’ll always get two extra-large eggs. We don’t skimp—people get what they pay for,” Blais said.

For her, integrity is everything. The mission has always been simple: bring the true Thai street food experience to Knoxville.

A decade later, through challenges and change, Blais has never strayed from that promise.

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