Food Market

Authentic Thai food here

By Stephen Faleski Staff Writer

For Tim Miller and his wife, Akkhara, bringing authentic Thai cuisine to Smithfield wasn’t so much a choice as a necessity.

“I eat this food all my life,” said Akkhara, who emigrated from Thailand to the United States. “I cannot eat American food every day, because I miss my food.”

The couple met in Washington, D.C., where Akkhara had been attending college and staying with relatives. She’d initially intended to study English and then return to Thailand, but life — and Tim — had other plans.

“We date, and he ask me for marriage,” Akkhara said, “And then I say yes.”

Tim, an Isle of Wight County native, then moved back to the area with his wife to raise their daughter. In 2016, Tim and Akkhara founded Chili Hill Farm LLC, and began selling homegrown Asian produce to restaurants and Asian markets on the Peninsula. The name is a nod to the couple’s first crop.

“Our first crop was Thai chili peppers,” Tim said. “We started our first large plot on a hill at our family’s farm near Windsor, so the name just kind of made sense.”

In 2019, the couple began selling homemade Thai food at the Smithfield Farmers Market. In 2021, they opened Chili Hill Food Market in a brick storefront at the corner of Main and Institute streets. The building’s owner, John Sanns, was one of their regular customers at the Farmers Market, Tim said.

“Akkhara does most of the Thai cooking,” Tim added.

She’d taken some culinary classes in Thailand, and began to immerse herself in learning all she could about Thai cooking after they founded Chili Hill.

“My background is culinary and foodservice management, so we work together on every aspect of the business,” Tim said.

Among Akkhara’s original creations is Chili Hill’s steamed pork buns, which took much experimenting on her part to perfect. Making them takes a certain type of flour that’s readily available in Thailand, but not in the United States.

“I had to mix every flour I can find … and then I tell family come and try, and they love it,” Akkhara said.

Also unique to Chili Hill are Akkhara’s papaya salad and Chili Hill noodle soup — formerly known as “mistletoe soup.”

Sourcing authentic ingredients has continued to be a challenge. Currently, the couple receives monthly shipments from a Baltimore-based distributor that specializes in southeast Asian foods. But, “sometimes you’ve gotta order some stuff online,” Tim said.

“We do grow a lot of the stuff, as much as we can,” he added. Top: Chili Hill sells won ton soup and pork flavor mix, as well as other Asian specialty ingredients. Right: Akkhara Miller prepares Thai cuisine in Chili Hill’s kitchen.