Today we’d like to introduce you to Srisawang Lee.
Hi Srisawang, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
As a first generation immigrant, getting a fresh start in the US was not easy. My parents struggled and worked hard every single day just to get our new lives rolling. However, through these struggles I will always remember all the fun times and delicious meals my mother had always prepared. It had always been my mother’s dream to share her wonderful meals and mine to share our culture with the world. Of course, all this lead to Leela.
Leela is a family-owned and operated restaurant that specialize in authentic Asian cuisine, more specifically, Thai. We opened up back in April of 2025, so it has only been a year since Leela has been up and running. Aside from food, we also offer many forms of entertainment such as karaoke and live-band performances. This helps us to share our musical culture to our community as well as a chance for our community to share theirs.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
We all wish our roads are smooth around here, but great success is a rough and bumpy road. Being a young business owner, there are limitations to my experiences in the world. I’ve had have my own share of the restaurant industry working as a line cook, server, and had my share of customer service in the past. These experiences definitely set the expectations of running a restaurant. However, these don’t make up the experience of starting up. There were definitely a lot of learning along the way. Many of these new experiences include learning about insurances, certifications, state and federal requirements, taxes, and management. Due to my inexperience, there were a lot of time delays and replanning. Even though it hasn’t been as smooth as I’d like, I’m definitely glad all has worked out. Everyday is still a learning experience and I’m always looking for new ways to improve my business.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
For my professional work, I am an electrical engineer. I know, how do we get restaurant owner from an engineer. But I believe that’s what really sets me apart from anyone else. With my background, it really helps me to keep the restaurant organize and follow a system that works. This also helps me to think out of the box and see different view points from many angles.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
I’ll have to give the most credit to my parents. I may be the owner of my own restaurant, but they are the backbone of it all. They helped me through the initial stage of starting up always keeping me on my feet. With my level of experience, there were times where I felt scared of failing or fall backs, but they were there with me to give advice or keep pushing me forward. And not only did they keep pushing me forward, they also led a helping hand in our day to day operations.
Pricing:
- Beef Pho $13.95
- Pad Thai $14.95 (your choice of protein)
- Curry $15.95 (your choice of protein)
- Fried Rice (your choice of protein)
- Papaya Salad $9.95
Contact Info:
