KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Knoxville Area Urban League gives empowerment opportunity loans ranging from $5,000 to $350,000 to entrepreneurs to start or expand businesses in Knox County.
And that's exactly what helped Kultida "Fai" Blaise, start her business, Fai Thai Kitchen.
"I was young," Fai said. "And I didn't have good credit. I just came from Thailand a few years before I started. So they, of course, you know, help with financially just loan me the money to kickstart my business with the food truck."
Fai said it was always her dream to start a Thai food business. She said she wanted to bring her food and culture to Knoxville.
"Food is always my passion," she said. "Since I was a kid, you know, and Thailand. I'm from Bangkok, Thailand, where street food is everywhere. When I come to America, and I see 'Oh, there's no Thai food truck around, and I could be the first one.' So I had an idea. And I started my business plan."
She said she opened her food truck in 2018. Then in 2021, she opened her first brick-and-mortar location on Gay Street. That location ended up closing and now her business has been off on Kingston Pike since last October.
"I can get to my clients a lot easier," Fai said. "And they can enjoy food, they can just drive here, chill with me have a good food."
Fai said there are differences between running a food truck and a brick-and-mortar restaurant.
"Food truck is very independent, and I don't have to work all that much," she said. "I can work a few days and have time. But in the restaurant business, is a lot more involved. It's a lot of involved with employee, like, you know, operation differences. But so far, so good. I love to run a restaurant, especially, you know, I know that my food is very competitive."
Fai said she's thankful for the opportunity to get the loan and it's nice that the urban league offers help, especially to minorities.
"It's so much potential in us," Fai said. "It just that the opportunities, not always there is such a blessing to have Knoxville Area Urban League to, you know, to help not only just me, is they always help, you know, minority like us."
Fai said she has advice for other business owners.
"I would say to other business owner that you should seek your opportunities," she said. "I always tell my friend or whoever that asked me for recommendation, always do your best. Always see new opportunity. Always write down. Take short notes, so that you can build a good profile. Like I couldn't have not been here today. If I don't do my profile, if I don't write down if I don't take good picture if I don't, you know record what I have done."
She said it's also important to make the customer feel welcome.
"Always bring that spirit to people and they can feel a customer knows when I serve the food, they feel it when they eat, they like the is you know, we never cut corners we never so whatever," Fai said. "Always try to be transparent to customer, to your friend, like always do the same thing."
