Alan and Duangjai Sachsel had noticed the Thai cuisine void in the valley for years. Finally, the couple decided to fill it with the recently opened Thai Village Restaurant at King’s Village Shopping Center on Mount Hermon Road.

No strangers to the Southeast Asian fare, the Sachsels opened the Thai Noodle House Restaurant in Santa Cruz seven years ago.

Since Thai Village’s grand opening July 15, the new restaurant has seen a healthy flow of patrons, Alan Sachsel said.

“It’s been excellent every single day we’ve been open,” he said. “People come in and tell us they’ve been waiting for Thai food in Scotts Valley.”

Alan Sachsel, a Jewish Santa Cruz native who speaks Thai fluently, said the new restaurant features specialty dishes from various Thai regions. It also serves beer, wine and sake.

Scotts Valley’s Thai Village has a well-rounded lunch buffet, an expanded menu with many seafood dishes and more dinner specials than the Santa Cruz restaurant, he said.

Duangjai Sachsel, the restaurant’s main chef, grew up in a small rice-growing village called Ban Kha in northeast Thailand, a region known for its spicy foods.

Her mother operated a noodle stand in front of their house and trained her as a chef, she said.

“We really want to cater to the customers and be able to communicate with them on how we can improve,” she said.

Duangjai Sachsel said her favorite dish is the green papaya salad with crab, which showcases the four main tastes of Thai cuisine: sour lime, hot chili, salty fish sauce and sweetness from palm sugar.

Keeping it in the family, the Sachsels’ 13-year-old daughter, Chatupon, a budding Thai chef, also cooks at the new restaurant.

Alan Sachsel said he was apprehensive about opening a business now, but he had great confidence in the location, which was formerly Tucson Taqueria.

“We didn’t have to build a whole restaurant from scratch,” he said. “Also, the fact that there was no Thai food at all really sold me on the

idea of opening the

restaurant, despite the current recession.”

At a glance

WHAT: Thai Village Restaurant

WHERE: 220 Mount Hermon Road, in Scotts Valley

HOURS: 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. seven days a week;

lunch buffet from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

INFO: 438-1800

To comment, e-mail reporter Michelle Camerlingo at michelle@pressbanner.com, call 438-2500 or post a comment at www.press

banner.com.