Staff Writer
George Thomas, a Caribou native and 1978 graduate of Caribou High School has returned to town after years of sojourn, bringing with him a piece of the outside world. Thomas along with wife Regina has opened Far East Kitchen, a Japanese/Korean restaurant, at 159 Bennett Drive in Caribou, the former home of A Bite to Eat.
Far East Kitchen has opened on Bennett Drive in Caribou offering Japanese/Korean cuisine. Employees of the new business shown from left are: Lucas Theriault, Michelle Botting, George Thomas, co-owner and Regina Thomas, co-owner. Not pictured is Jinsil Thomas.
Thomas who spent years traveling in the U.S. Navy met his wife, a Korean native, in San Diego. After retiring from the Navy in 1998 the pair opened a restaurant in Bremerton, Wash.
The restaurant which was open for six years had essentially the same menu as the new Bennett Drive business. In 2004 the pair along with daughter Jinsil moved back to Thomas’ hometown of Caribou, and have since been looking for an opportunity to open another restaurant.
The menu which is primarily Japanese teriyaki-style cooking has been designed by Regina who has made all of the recipes and developed their own sauces.
“Regina’s the head cook, she the one who came up with all the recipes, and we make all of our sauces and stuff ourselves. So she comes up with the recipes and I just follow the directions she gives me,” said Thomas.
Aside from the Japanese cuisine, Far East Kitchen also offers a few Korean dishes, which are Regina’s family recipes, as well as a few popular sandwiches from A Bite to Eat, and burgers and fish and chips.
“We wanted to cover what everybody would like to have,” said Thomas.
Aside from Thomas and wife, the restaurant also employs a kitchen and wait staff of three including: Michelle Botting and Lucas Theriault. The Thomas’ daughter Jinsil a junior at Caribou High School also works at the restaurant after school and on weekends.
Business at the new restaurant has been steady, and according to Thomas community response has been very positive.
“There are a lot of retired military people around who have been overseas in Asian countries, and they know what they’re looking at, and they ask for some things specifically,” said Thomas.
Unfortunately as Japanese cuisine has not typically been offered in Aroostook County before, it is often difficult to obtain necessary ingredients. Thomas finds it necessary to travel to Portland to get many of their ingredients.
Although Japanese cooking has been a rare offering in Aroostook in the past Thomas has found customers very receptive to the new style of cuisine.
“I think people are glad to have a different type of restaurant here in town,” said Thomas.
For more information about Far East Kitchen call the restaurant at 493-7858 or stop in at the 159 Bennett Drive location during business hours, from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
