Thai chef excited for new city centre restaurant

Chudas Parnicky, 44, is excited to bring her Taste of Thailand restaurant to Cowgate

A chef from Thailand who moved to the UK in 2005 said her dream "has come true" after opening a new restaurant.

Chudas Parnicky said she was "over the moon" to expand her business and bring authentic flavours to Peterborough City Centre with a new 54-seater restaurant, Taste of Thailand.

She first set up a Thai food truck but was forced to close it due to the Covid pandemic.

The chef went on to open a restaurant within the Woolpack pub in Stanground. After outgrowing the space, she is now taking over the former Pizza Parlour venue in Cowgate.

The 54-seater restaurant will employ 22 people

Ms Parnicky, also known as Emma, is a self-taught chef. Her family are still in Thailand and her brother, who is also a chef, is in the process of joining her.

The new venue will have an open-style kitchen with a team of "sexy and crazy chefs", Ms Parnicky added.

Work is ongoing to get the restaurant open on Wednesday

'Offer something different'

Her business partner, David Nightingale, said: "We have done this new venue as a Bangkok -style street restaurant with colourful lights and a very vibrant decor.

"We think we will offer something different and we want people to be proud of Peterborough. We are in fact fully booked for the next week or so.

"Let’s try and push the city postiviely and supporting independents like us will help."

Mr Nightingale hopes Peterborough City-council will promote a pedestrianised city centre to make it "vibrant and attractive" like other European cities.