Great Cuisine at House of Thai

I've always had a soft place in my heart for House of Thai Cuisine, located at 1667 Siskiyou Boulevard. The restaurant opened in February 1989, and four months later (June 1989) my wife and I took the whole extended family there for dinner after our wedding.
Owners Piengchit and Phil Crompton love to hear romantic stories like that. The two met in 1995 when Phil was getting his car washed at Siskiyou and Harmony Lane and he noticed a woman at the house next door working in the yard.
"There was a 'for rent' sign up, and I went to inquire about it," Phil said. "I had a B&B and was doing some contracting work, so about one month later she called me back about a job. It sounded like an overseas telemarketer, and I hung up on her. Her daughter, who speaks perfect English, called back to explain everything. It's funny, because now Piengchit tells everyone that the first time she ever called me, I hung up on her."
The two eventually became good friends and were married in May 1999.
Piengchit has an interesting history. She grew up in Thailand and moved to the U.S. in 1981 with five kids (the ex-husband was living in Los Angeles). After working a variety of jobs, she opened her own restaurant, which was very successful.
"I worried about my kids growing up in L.A., though," Piengchit said. "I had a friend, Nam, in Ashland who was going to S.O.U., and he convinced me to move here and open a restaurant. We drove into town and stopped at the Mini Market on Siskiyou, and I noticed that the building across the street was for sale."
With the help of Nam, Piengchit bought the property in 1988 and immediately began remodeling. When it opened in February 1989, it was one of the first Thai restaurants in the Medford/Ashland area, and it was a big hit. Nam eventually opened his own restaurant, Tasty Thai, in Medford.
The menu is diverse, serving over 130 dishes. You can start with appetizers like egg rolls and deep-fried battered prawns, move on to a variety of salads and soups, then choose between entrees featuring BBQ, noodles, fried rice, meat with vegetables, curries, seafood and specialties like sliced BBQ duck.
There's also a very extensive vegetarian menu, and they also cater to those with gluten allergies. All of the meals are reasonably priced, and the lunch specials are all served with soup, steamed rice, and egg roll. You will definitely not go away hungry.
"The food is all authentic Thai," Phil said. "The sauces and curries give it that special flavor that has made Thai cuisine so popular."
Piengchit's five children (Lek, Au, Anan, Darunee and Noom) have all worked at the restaurant at various times over the years and now all work in their careers. Lek owns the Lemon Grass restaurant in Medford, and his daughter Noon works at House of Thai Cuisine, making it a three-generation effort.
For more information, the phone number is 542-488-2583. The restaurant is open seven nights a week, and lunch Monday through Friday.

Stunning Tile from Hakatai Enterprises

If it's a tile project, large or small, that you want done, Ashland just happens to be the home of Hakatai Enterprises, an importer and national distributor of glass mosaic tile. ("Hakatai" is the Havasupai name for the Colorado River.) Owners Marshall and Suzan Malden started the business in 1997 while living in Phoenix, Arizona, and moved to Ashland in 2001.
"I grew up in Oregon and met Suzan at San Francisco State University," Marshall said. "We were married in 1965, and I spent 30 years in the international operations of a number of companies, including those developing export markets in Asia. A close personal and business relationship with management at a Hong Kong-based company made it possible for me to set up Hakatai as the exclusive U.S. importer of its glass tile and custom murals."
When Suzan retired from teaching in 2001, they decided to relocate.
"Suzan had family in Ashland," Marshall said. "We had visited a number of times and loved the town. We could have relocated Hakatai almost anywhere since our business model is not based on having local demand—just UPS or FedEx availability. Our daughters Ann-Britt, a hairstylist at Renu, and Andrea, an Events Manager at Innersource, live here."
"We have a broad customer base that includes architects, contractors, interior designers and dealers, as well as homeowners," Marshall said. "Customers can expect exceptional service to meet their needs and make sure they are satisfied with the tile. We have years of experience with many different types of projects, and we still work with homeowners and artists on a daily basis as well. Customers can expect absolutely stunning, beautiful mosaic artwork from our custom murals and exceptional quality in our tile products."
Glass tile is stocked in Ashland, and the company also provides a custom blend and gradients that are produced here as well.
"A custom blend or gradient is a specific mix of colors custom made for a customer," Marshall said. "Many of our tiles are available loose, which is great for mosaic artists. We always enjoy seeing new mosaic artwork made by our customers. We have a great variety of mosaic tile that is mostly stocked in Ashland, although we also have products stocked in other warehouses. This provides us the ability to carry a wide variety of tile."
Hakatai has a showroom at 695 Mistletoe Road, Suite D. Call 541-552-0855 for more info.

Beautiful Landscaping by Sage Hill

When Ken Laidlaw, owner of Sage Hill Landscape, was growing up, his family was in the construction business, giving him a solid basis in how the industry worked.
"I wanted to put my own spin on it, so I got a degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Georgia in 1993," Ken said. "I started my own Design/Build Landscape company in Atlanta in 1995. After 15 years, though, I wanted a slower pace with less traffic. The Pacific Northwest, and specifically Ashland, fit how we wanted to live. The sense of community, shared values and location were all important to us, as well as the art culture, theater and the friends we had who lived here."
After moving to Ashland, Ken studied the climate to determine what would and wouldn't work here. "It's interesting that Atlanta and Ashland are in the same plant zone (7)," Ken said. "The plant material was virtually identical, so it wasn't much of a learning curve in regard to plants. I just had to re-think how to water them."
Ken started Sage Hill Landscape in the summer of 2010 with the goal of staying small and really focusing on his clients' goals and expectations and on the details of each project.
"I like being organized and on time, and I believe that's one thing that makes a job run smoothly," he said. "Contracting can be stressful for the client, so I try to keep things simple and communicate with them as much as possible. I compare it to buying a house: People just don't do it that often and they are relying on you to be the expert."
As far as Ken is concerned, his employees are the key to a successful business. "I have been fortunate to find a really great group of people who are very experienced in hardscape and landscape and who really understand my process and how a job should progress," he said. "They are aware that communication is the key to success. And by success I mean the completion of the job, regardless of the size or scope, and the experience the client has during that process."
Ken and his crew work hard to make your yard and gardens look beautiful, and they strive to be as unobtrusive as possible, getting the job done on time and to the customer's satisfaction.
Ken also joined the American Rain Catchment System Association and combined his experience with pool construction with a certification in rain harvesting to provide alternatives for watering.
"A pool is just a large cistern with pumps and filters," Ken said. "We apply the same principals to rain harvesting. We currently have over 40 rain harvesting systems installed across the Rogue Valley, most of which service new and existing landscapes."
For more information, the phone number is 541-488-3500, and the website is sagehilllandscape.com.

Exceptional Wine at Weisinger Family Winery

Southern Oregon is becoming a mecca for wineries and vineyards, and one of the first ones on the scene was Weisinger Family Winery, located at 3150 Siskiyou Boulevard. The first vineyards were planted by John Weisinger in 1978, and the winery, the first in Ashland, opened in 1988.
"My father purchased the farm when I was ten-years-old, and my sisters and I would spend the summers there," said co-owner Eric Weisinger. "When Dad planted the vineyard that summer, he bought the young vines from Frank Wisnovsky, the late owner and founder of Valley View Winery. Frank and my father had become friends, and it was Frank who convinced my father to plant Gewurtztraminer, a German variety known for is amazing aromatics and spice. From that point forward, I grew up with vines."
Thirty-five years later, the holes that Eric dug for those plants with a hand trowel are still producing grapes. After graduating from college, he moved back to Ashland to work at the winery full time, and in 2000 he took over as winemaker.
"After the harvest of 2006 I made the decision that in order to become better at my craft, I needed to leave the family business," Eric said. "I worked in different wine regions here and abroad, including New Zealand, as well as starting my own wine consulting business. In 2011 I came back to work for our family winery once again as winemaker. One big change we are working on is to replace the label that has been used for the last 25 years."
Weisinger Winery is a family owned and operated winery that specializes in premium wine produced from locally grown grapes.
"We recently made the decision to only purchase grapes that are grown within five miles of our winery," Eric said. "We personally manage most the vineyards from which we purchase to give us more control over the fruit we use. We farm our vineyards sustainably and, as of 2011, use very little sulfites in our wines. We believe that when grapes are managed well, very little needs to be done to them once they reach the winery."
Between May 1 and November 30, the winery is open seven days a week, 11am to 5pm. Guests can sample wines and enjoy an exceptional view from the deck. The winery also hosts special events, as well as private parties. The Grape Stomp Competition in August is always fun, and the twice-annual Warehouse Sale is very popular.
To learn more, call 541-488-5989.