GRAND FORKS — Vivi Kanvadi Jirayoorathchai bought a restaurant in Bemidji about three years ago.

He actually owns two restaurants, a spa and a jewelry store in Bemidji.

Two years ago, he founded Kaizen Sushi and Ramen on North Third Street in Grand Forks.

It’s not yet finished entering the market in downtown Grand Forks. Within a few months, it will open King Poke, a restaurant specializing in poke (rhymes with OK), a Hawaiian dish featuring sushi-quality raw fish and a variety of other ingredients served over rice, and Koko Asian Fusion and Bar, with separate locations in DeMers . Street in downtown Grand Forks.

His love for the United States began when he was a 17-year-old exchange student in Hershey, Pennsylvania. He always knew he wanted to return to the country.

First he earned some money. In addition to being a French professor at a university for five years, he decided to open the @Skillz Academic School in Thailand and ran it for several years before returning to the United States.

She and her husband, Chet Porrodanan, run restaurants. He is the owner and says “he is my boss”.

Of course, with restaurants and businesses in both Bemidji and Grand Forks, the couple commutes frequently. They were at Kaizen Sushi and Ramen in Grand Forks the other day.

The following week they were in Bemidji for a few days.

“Chet is always with me,” Vivi said. “We need to drive here and get there. “We have managers everywhere.”

Chet was the leader of an insurance branch in Bangkok. She manages the POS systems in the buildings and supports Vivi in ​​many ways throughout the process of starting and running the business.

Vivi said he would do his best to ensure businesses thrive. One thing he emphasizes is quality.

“We do quality everywhere,” he said. “If something doesn’t work, we throw it away.”

The owner is looking for servers and bartenders to fill open spots at their new Grand Forks location. He said the kitchen staff was ready.

The Kaizen location has beer and wine. Koko Asian Fusion and Bar, located near Bonzer’s, plans to serve alcohol if its application in the city is approved.

“I’m really happy working,” Vivi said. “We serve all our customers like family, greeting them with a warm welcome when they arrive, as if they were having dinner at home.”

Vivi’s next move? It is negotiating to buy buildings in South Dakota and Wisconsin. He also hopes to open a restaurant or two in the Twin Cities.

Kevin Fee/Grand Forks Herald

Kevin Fee is a freelance reporter for the Herald.