Sasimonthon Ongartsutthikul is a Thai immigrant who moved to the St. Louis region in 1995 and has become a famous restauranteur.
She was born on November 27, 1968, in Bangkok, Thailand, during the Vietnam War, which added to the difficulty of being born and raised in that part of the world. She has one brother and four sisters. Four of her siblings have moved to the U.S., except one, who still lives in Bangkok, Thailand.
Ongartsutthikul married Dan Rifenberg in Thailand, and they had two children. They migrated to the U.S. in 1995, and Rifenberg started the restaurant business with the first two locations being Manee Thai in Ballwin, MO, and Thai Kitchen in Maryland Heights, MO.
Unfortunately, his untimely death forced Ongartsutthikul to sell those restaurants, but both remain in business today and have become popular restaurants in their communities.
Currently, Sasimonthon Ongartsutthikul owns the popular Thai Kitchen chain, which has locations in the following communities:
- Florissant, MO (owned and operated by her brother Sombut)
- O’Fallon, MO
- St. Charles, MO
- St. Louis, MO (operates inside The Hill Food Company)
- Wentzville, MO
- Maryland Heights, MO (operates as Thai Mama)
Additionally, she owns Sasi Management Group, Inc. It operates Sasi Wholesale, which sells food on a wholesale basis to its restaurants and other restaurants in the St. Louis region, and Sasi Thai Market, a retail store specializing in Thai food ingredients.
St. Louis Restaurant Review nominated Ongartsutthikul as the “Restaurateur of the Year Award – 2022” on March 4, 2022. The nomination was decided after a published article titled “Featured Restaurant Owner – Thai Kitchen Founder, Andie” in St. Louis Restaurant Review.
While the situation now sounds like the American dream has come true to a Thai migrant, the beginning was not easy for her.
This page is a work in progress. It tells an interesting story that is still in the making.
