Food Goong: Bound by Fate Brewing introduces Lao food to Schuylerville

SCHUYLERVILLE, N.Y. — A local brewery is introducing a new type of cuisine to the Saratoga County dining scene.

Bound by Fate Brewing, which opened in 2020 at 31 Ferry St. in Schuylerville, recently started serving Lao food with the launch of Haan Lao.

The brewery kitchen, with full-time food offerings, opened in late March as a partnership with chef Boby Pradachith of restaurant Thip Khao in Washington, DC.

Pradachith, Haan Lao’s opening chef, has been working alongside head chef Timothy Wooster (formerly of Jack’s Oyster House, Bonfiglio & Bread, and DA | BA) to finalize the menu and service for this springtime debut.

Lao food is eaten family-style, with everyone at the table sharing plates and eating with their hands. “This connection to the food and the people you share it with fits perfectly with the motivation behind Bound by Fate Brewing,” a press release from the business said.

With the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bound by Fate Brewing started exploring offering food. Pam Pradachith-Demler, co-founder and CEO, was born in a refugee camp after her family left Laos, and grew up in the Bay Area in California surrounded by Lao food prepared by her sister, Seng Luangrath, who is now chef and owner of DC-area Lao mainstays Thip Khao, Padaek, Hanumanh and Sen Khao as well as the founder of @laofoodmovement.

Pradachith-Demler wanted to bring those flavors to Schuylerville to pair with the New York State Farm Beer that her husband, co-founder, and head brewer Brett Demler brews. “I am so excited to share the flavors and food of my family heritage with our Bound By Fate community,” she said in the release. “When we first opened, our plan was to open a small taproom and sell our craft brews over the bar, but the pandemic forced us to rethink our business model. Today we have an expanded space and a full kitchen offering delicious beer-friendly food from my native country of Laos.”

She continued, “The Demlers have a long-standing history with the craft beer industry, and opening the farm brewery and taproom was a lifelong dream. My side of the family has a rich culinary tradition of multiple restaurateurs. I am so incredibly humbled and proud to be able to work alongside my sister Chef Seng and my nephew Chef Boby to bring this concept to life.”

Pradachith, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, is ecstatic to return to upstate New York to assist Bound by Fate Brewing in this new business expansion. “The general mission for our DMV-area restaurants has consistently focused on broadening our Lao food culture in the states,” he said in the release. “During our 12-year ongoing tenure, my mother, Chef Seng, has become a pioneer to many Laotian-Americans who have since opened Lao restaurants in their communities. I’ve been fortunate to see my aunt and uncle open their dream business in Schuylerville and move forward to present our native cuisine to this wonderful community.”

Wooster is proud to be part of this initiative as well. “Bound by Fate Brewing has in many ways been an absolutely perfect marriage,” he said in the release. “The clear importance of bringing together community and family is felt from the moment you walk in the door and the pairing of delicious food and libations complements the atmosphere. The bold flavors introduced by Chef Boby and Chef Seng were quite literally the stuff of my dreams and I am incredibly grateful for this unique opportunity. I am absolutely over the moon to forge forward with this exciting new journey together.”

The Haan Lao kitchen is open from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and noon to 8 p.m. on weekends.

More information about Bound By Fate Brewing and Haan Lao is available online at https://ift.tt/kK6Lb0E.