Thai Basil Restaurant, a Stillwater spot started by the original chef behind Pad Thai on Grand, is closing.

Its last day will be July 7, owner and chef Phouvanh Soderquist said. The restaurant, just off MN-36, opened in February 2015.

“We want to express our deepest gratitude to our loyal customers who have supported us the last 10 years,” she wrote on the restaurant’s website.

In a conversation Wednesday, she identified staffing as one of the biggest challenges the restaurant faced.

Soderquist and her husband own the building and have been looking to sell it for some time, she said Wednesday. They found a buyer who plans to lease the space to a new restaurant, she said, but more specific details have yet to be finalized.

Soderquist, who emigrated from Thailand, previously opened Pad Thai on Grand, near Macalester College, in 1999. She sold her stake to her business partner about five years ago, she said, and is no longer involved in the restaurant.

After Thai Basil closes, Soderquist said, she plans to pivot toward hosting private dinners and tastings from her home.

Thai Basil Restaurant: 1180 W Frontage Rd., Stillwater; 651-439-4033; thaibasilstillwater.com

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