The restaurant business is anything but glamorous, but you wouldn’t know it looking at Maile Sengoura, the glamorous owner of Maile’s Thai Bistro. In fact, Sengoura’s first foray into the world of restaurants was in the back of house, despite what her taste in fashion and bubbly personality might suggest.
Born into a family of restaurateurs, Sengoura spent her summers on Maui as a teen working at her aunt’s Lahaina restaurant, Thai Chef. “I grew up in that kitchen,” Sengoura says. “I always wanted to be a waitress—it looked like such a glamorous job. I was stuck in the kitchen peeling shrimp and chopping garlic and onions.”
Sengoura’s longing to interact with guests in the front of the house was satisfied when she became the youngest operating partner in her family’s restaurant chain, Assaggio’s. She took charge of the Hawai‘i Kai location and spent 10 years building a rapport with local customers, learning their favorite dishes and watching their children grow up.
“The first two years, I wanted to give up. But giving up was not an option for me.”
Eventually, Sengoura decided to branch out from the family business and open her own restaurant: the first Maile’s Thai in Hawai‘i Kai. Many underestimated her in the beginning—from negotiating the lease to working with an architect to build out the space, she’s had to stand her ground in order to make her vision for the restaurant a reality.
Enticing her loyal Assaggio’s customers to her new restaurant was also a challenge at first. Though they would come visit her at Maile’s and have a drink at the bar, many were hesitant to try the food. “The first two years, I wanted to give up,” Sengoura admits. “But giving up was not an option for me. I’m very stubborn, and I will do anything to succeed.”
To get hesitant newcomers through the door, she added a local twist to her menu, offering french fries and steak alongside the Thai dishes she grew up with. “Once we got them through the door, I encouraged people to order family style so everyone could experiment,” Sengoura says. “Then it was on the table, so those non-Thai eaters would eventually try it. They were amazed—they didn’t know Thai food could taste like this. I really try to accommodate everyone’s palate as much as I can, without compromising my identity.”
Half Thai and half Laotian, Sengoura grew up sharing food and stories around the table, a custom of paramount importance in both cultures. However, despite the cultural similarities, she notes that many Laotian-owned and -operated restaurants identify as “Thai” or “Lao-Thai” since those labels are more easily identifiable to customers.
“Thai food and Lao food are very, very similar,” Sengoura says. “We’re next-door neighbors, but we are our own country and have our own language. Laos is such a small country, and people are not exposed to the culture, so today I’m slowly trying to incorporate it into my Thai cooking.”
Now with a loyal following of her own and a second location in Ward, the business isn’t without its ongoing challenges. “The responsibilities of a restaurant are never ending,” says Sengoura, who is accustomed to fielding calls from her staff at all hours. “The restaurant business is one of the toughest businesses aside from being a mom, and I’m actually both.”
But with two locations under her belt, and potentially a third in the works, she’s found her formula for success. “As an owner, you do everything,” Sengoura says. “I’m a plumber, I’m a janitor, I’m a dishwasher, I’m an accountant when I have to be. If you can do everybody’s job, [no one will] mess with you. Any time someone wants to walk out, [they know you can easily go in and do the job] yourself.”
People know Sengoura as the face of the restaurant, but few are aware she’s also a driving force in the kitchen. She’s even known to whip up her delicious cuisine while dressed for a night out. “Customers are amazed when I come out of the kitchen wearing heels and bangles and drop earrings and a dress,” Sengoura laughs. “I don’t always cook like that, but if there’s an emergency and I’m already dressed, that’s how I go in and cook.”
