There will be chance to experience a taste of far eastern culture at the heart of Elland, when the town’s Thai takeaway café receives a Buddhist blessing.
SukanthaiFood in Southgate, Elland, near Halifax, will be given the blessing by Buddhist monks from the Watbuddharam Temple in Headingley, Leeds, on Sunday, January 27. The ceremony will celebrate the success of the venue and promises to bring happiness and prosperity for the future.
The ceremony begins at 10.15am on Sunday, January 27. The monks, dressed in their traditional robes, will start the ceremony with prayers and ancient Thai chants, before blessing the premises and guests with holy water.
People from Thai communities across Calderdale, Kirklees and Bradford will be attending the event. All are welcome to go along, whatever their beliefs, and enjoy a taste of traditional Thai culture with owner Kiyara A-Roonchai and her team.
The takeaway and cafe opened in the centre of Elland last summer creating six new jobs. Like its sister venue, SukanThai in Cleckheaton, it is named in honour of Kiyara’s late grandmother, Sukantha, who lived in Thailand and is her inspiration.
Kiyara said: “I came to England with my mother as a child from Thailand, which is a Buddhist country. I do practise Buddhism which is really more of a philosophy of life than a religion, where you don’t kill, lie or cheat and you strive to develop qualities of spiritual awareness, kindness and wisdom.
“When we start a new business, like a shop, or even get a new house or car, we like to receive a blessing which we believe will bring us good fortune and keep us safe. This little ceremony in Elland is a chance to share a flavour of Thai culture with friends and customers and thank them for their support so far in getting SukanThai Food off to a brilliant start”.
The former Jumping Clay children’s craft shop premises was given a major refurbishment to turn it into the new takeaway.
Kiyara said the culinary theme for the Elland cafe was “Thai with a twist”, taking traditional Thai cooking and reinventing the old recipes to create something totally new. The dishes are “health-conscious” with little or no added sugar, very little salt content, and no monosodium glutamate added and many are suitable for people on healthy slimming diets. Kiyara is currently working on some new vegan options to extend the menu.
The venue has recently paired with the new Elland Craft and Tap micropub next door, so that customers can now enjoy craft ales in the café to wash down their food or a Thai meal in the bar with their beer.
As well as offering an exotic option to cook at home, SukanThai Food provides a peaceful haven for people working in Elland, during their lunch breaks and after work, and welcomes hungry shoppers and other people visiting the town.
