Elgin restaurant hosts Thailand fundraiser

The owner of Toom Toom Thai restaurant in downtown Elgin, Uthaiwan Wiitanen, will host a second anniversary celebration for her business Wednesday as well as a fundraiser for flood victims in Thailand.

Wiitanen opened the restaurant at 23 S. Grove Ave., exactly two years ago and wants to take the anniversary as an opportunity to thank her customers. She is offering complimentary meals of egg rolls, pot stickers and soup from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., while also collecting donations to send to Thailand.

“I’m not going to charge any money from my customers,” Wiitanen said. “I want them to have a feeling of a pure heart and if they want to donate, that’s fine.”

Wiitanen first came to the United States from Bangkok in 1990 planning to continue the legal studies she began in Thailand. Her dreams changed but she moved here permanently about 12 years ago and opened her Elgin restaurant in 2009.

Wiitanen still has family in Thailand, mostly in Bangkok, where the flooding has been minimal. The country as a whole has been experiencing its worst flooding in decades since September. The death toll is nearing 400, and continued flooding is making it hard to distribute aid, according to reports.

Wiitanen said her loved ones have been exceptionally lucky. Only one home in her family had flooding damage and the water only reached it a couple days ago.

“That’s why I feel so bad,” Wiitanen said. “For other people it happened almost two months ago.”

Money collected Wednesday will be donated to The Princess Foundation, an organization in Thailand providing support directly to those affected by the floods.

Members of the Downtown Neighborhood Association, the Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce and the Elgin Area Convention and Visitors Bureau will participate in a brief ceremony for the anniversary celebration at noon. Mayor David Kaptain will also read a proclamation recognizing Nov. 2, 2011 as Toom Toom Thai Restaurant Day in Elgin.