Popular Richland restaurant, run by women of color, to celebrate 40 years in business

What more do you need besides good food, culture, people and music? According to Ravadi Quinn, founder of The Emerald of Siam restaurant in Richland, and Dara Quinn, her daughter and current owner, these four things are key.

Run by women of color, the community favorite restaurant is approaching 40 years in business. To mark the milestone, a two-day celebration is planned for October 20 and 21, Friday and Saturday. A myriad of performers will be featured, there will be a special buffet and more. The press release promises the celebration will be “a vivid tapestry of Thai culture and unparalleled entertainment.”

In order to remain accessible to the entire community, the anniversary celebration will be free to attend, with donations accepted at the door.

The Emerald of Siam’s legacy

Ravadi opened the restaurant in 1983 with her sister after receiving seed money from their father back in Thailand. They had been hoping to open the restaurant for a while, but encountered many roadblocks along the way.

In fact, Ravadi’s own husband discouraged her business venture. In an interview with the Tri-City Herald, Ravadi recounted one conversation from that time.

“The Wall Street Journal says that only 2% of small businesses make it,” Ravadi said her husband told her.

“Well, then I’ll be one of the 2%,” Ravadi said she responded.

Looking back, Ravadi sees opening the restaurant as the first time she really followed her heart. Reflecting on it now, she says, “at least I have done something right in my life.”

Sharing culture through food

The Emerald of Siam was a way for the sisters to share their culture through food. Creating quality, authentic dishes for people who might not get a glimpse of Thai culture otherwise was a core inspiration. Ravadi thinks there is something about a positive learning experience regarding new cultures, especially when young, that leads to greater understanding and less prejudice later in life.

“People feel love when they eat here, that’s the magic,” Ravadi said.

The mother retired around 2011, meaning her children had three options: take over, close the restaurant or sell the establishment. Ravadi’s daughter, Dara, took over with the help of her brother, Billy.

Since retiring, Ravadi has published two cookbooks and one book of poetry, inspired by her time at a school of meditation. All three are available for sale at The Emerald.

Some history on Dara Quinn

Driven by a lifelong passion for music, Dara spent most of the ‘90s in the Seattle area, touring in a band. In 2001, when she moved back to the Tri-Cities, where she grew up, she was itching for a music scene.

Seattle’s music scene was thriving in the ‘90s, benefiting from the grunge wave. But no matter what you listened to, or if you were a budding musician, there were outlets for you in the Emerald City.

Returning from that abundant community to Tri-Cities was like a cold shock for Dara. There were some establishments here that booked musicians, sure, but something was missing. Tri-Cities didn’t really have a place for music lovers to gather, to grow, to become a community.

So, Dara got to work creating one. While Ravadi had booked sporadic events at The Emerald, Dara decided she would make music a consistent element at the restaurant. It began almost like a startup, with calls not unlike cold calls to musicians she knew across the region. She asked them to give her a shot, come play the venue and help her get started.

The goal was to get locals up and out of the house, create an arts and entertainment scene here for musicians and fans alike.

“I’ve been trying to extract people from their couches ever since,” Dara said.

As time went on, Dara didn’t need to make calls anymore, the requests were coming in regularly, from artists all over. But on top of that, Dara noticed the abundance of talent right here in the Tri-Cities, who only needed an outlet.

When Dara took over after her mother’s retirement, she continued the constant inclusion of music.

“A lot of shows here bring tears and chills,” Dara said. “Magic happens here.”

Reflecting on four decades in business

It is safe to say that both Quinn women achieved the goals they set out for the restaurant. The Emerald of Siam is a community favorite for its delicious, authentic Thai food, a revolving door of entertainment, and an accepting environment fostered with love. It’s tough to find a member of the local music scene who hasn’t performed at The Emerald, who hasn’t networked with other locals there, who doesn’t have some kind of working relationship with Dara Quinn.

“I am so proud of [Dara] for making this family much bigger,” Ravadi said. “The bigger your family, the bigger your heart grows.”

While Ravadi is now a grandparent, she considers her family to grow with each added staff member, each new customer, each new performer. Everyone who becomes a part of The Emerald’s legacy of love simultaneously becomes a part of their family.

A positive work environment is important to both women, and has always been essential at the restaurant. Dara said maintaining good, long-term employees is a huge part of managing the stress that comes with running the restaurant and venue.

When Ravadi retired, there were seven staff members. Now there are 23, and still, the majority of the kitchen staff is from Thailand, keeping the cuisine authentic.

“We spend most of our lives working,” Ravadi said. “If you aren’t growing at work, where are you growing?”

The Emerald gave her, her daughter, and an entire staff the ability to grow at work. You can taste the love in the food because of this.

While they admit they have experienced scrutiny for being women of color, that only adds to the massive achievement it is to remain in business for four decades, even through a pandemic.

“Being brown and being a woman… you’ve just got to fight and not think about it,” Dara said.

Their priority is always the betterment of the community, whether that’s the Uptown Shopping Center, Richland, the Tri-Cities or eastern Washington. You can see this in the support The Emerald consistently offers its neighbors and other businesses.

As the reopening for Ray’s Golden Lion has been postponed due to unforeseen circumstances, The Emerald is raising money for the nearby establishment. Even before the pipe burst at Ray’s, delaying the reopening, staff at both venues sat down to go over their schedules, making sure the scheduled performances are complimentary, not competitive. They never like to be competitors over at The Emerald, they prefer to be supporters and collaborators.

A 40th anniversary event

The specialty buffet menu has not been announced yet, but is rumored to include both brand-new dishes and customer favorites. The cocktail menu at The Emerald features house-infused liquors inspired by Thai cuisine.

The entertainment schedule features top-notch performers.

Friday, October 20

• 5 p.m.: Traditional Thai dance

• 5:45 p.m.: Nick Drummond

• 6:45 p.m.: Traditional Thai dance

• 7:15 p.m.: Nick Drummond

• 9 p.m.: Cockaphonix

• Late night show: Whalien

Saturday, October 21

• Noon: Three Rivers Saxtette

• 2 p.m.: Traditional Thai dance

• 3 p.m. Poetry reading, book giveaway from Ravadi

• 5 p.m.: SIRSY

• 9 p.m.: Midnight Snacks & family jams