Food, family and fitness fill Ektnitphong’s cup

WORTHINGTON — It’s rare to see Annie Ektnitphong without a warm and welcoming smile. And why not? Ektnitphong’s approach to life is all about positivity: seizing opportunities, making food and friends, maintaining fitness and prioritizing family.

She also values the town that’s been home to her and her exuberant husband, Smitty, for nearly 30 years.

“It was a good decision to come here,” said Ektnitphong, 61. “Everywhere I go, I know everybody. It’s so safe, so relaxed, and when friends come to visit from larger cities, they can’t believe we have a lake, a golf course right next door and no traffic problems.

“They say, ‘This is such a nice town,’ and we laugh because we love it — but people don’t always appreciate what’s right here.”

Rest assured, Ektnitphong treasures her life and surroundings.

A Laotian immigrant who, as a child, lived in a Thailand refugee camp for a period before being allowed, at age 13, to join relatives in Dallas, Texas, Ektnitphong attended middle- and high school in the Lone Star State. She lived there long enough to cement a lifelong loyalty to the Dallas Cowboys.

Her fandom was put to the test by none other than Randy Simonson, an avowed Green Bay Packers adherent and Ektnitphong’s longtime employer during her many years as a quality control lab technician, first at Oxford Laboratories and later at Newport Laboratories.

“Dr. Simonson is one of the best bosses I ever had,” said Ektnitphong, mentioning how supportive he and his wife, Sue, were of her and her young family when they first arrived in Worthington in late 1994/early 1995. “He was so kind to every one of my three kids, as nice as if they were his own grandkids.”

But one year, when Simonson gifted Green Bay Packers jerseys — with Brett Favre’s No. 4 plastered on the back, no less — to the entire Ektnitphong crew, Ektnitphong had to swallow hard.

“I still have it,” laughed Ektnitphong of the jersey. “That’s how much we think of Dr. Simonson; we wore the jerseys to make him happy.”

Simonson, in turn, endorses Ektnitphong.

“Annie was a very good employee — honest, trustworthy and a good team member who worked hard and got along well with people,” he said.

Happiness and good humor have been keys to facing life’s challenges, and to unlocking Ektnitphong’s heart.

Yet when she first heard of Smitty, he didn’t strike her as the type of man she’d marry.

“I thought he wasn’t such a nice guy,” she said, noting he was the friend of a brother-in-law whose young wife was battling a cancerous tumor. “He’d take out my brother-in-law and I thought that was wrong, that he should stay with his wife all the time.”

Eventually Ektnitphong learned the truth.

“He knew my brother-in-law needed cheering up, a break from the care and a chance to get out for a while,” she explained. “I learned that later. Smitty was (in fact) a nice guy with a goofy, funny manner, and anytime I’m with him, he makes me happy and makes me laugh.”

Smitty’s good humor won her over, and the pair married in 1989.

“After that, it’s history,” she smiled.

Within a year they’d had the first of their three children, daughter Victoria. Both Victoria and their second daughter, Nicole, were born in Columbus, Ohio, where the Ektnitphongs had moved to join Smitty’s dad and sister.

“We worked in a Thai restaurant there,” said Ektnitphong. “Smitty was a cook and I was a server.”

When Smitty’s brother, owner of the Hunan Lion restaurant in Marshall, suggested they take a look at a Worthington restaurant that was for sale, Smitty traveled to Minnesota to check it out. Soon after, the growing family transitioned to Worthington, where they opened Bangkok Cuisine in the former A & W along Worthington’s eastern belt line.

While Ektnitphong had warm feelings about the restaurant and the customer base relishing their delicious and innovative food, she wasn’t initially sold on the Great White North.

“At the beginning, I did not like the snow and cold,” Ektnitphong admitted. At least once in their first Minnesota winter, they became completely stuck in the snow while traveling the short distance between the restaurant and their residence. “But year after year, I got used to it and the winters seemed more reasonable.”

Ektnitphong and Smitty, both of whom became naturalized U.S. citizens more than two decades ago, valued Worthington’s ease while raising their trio of children (son Troy was born in late 1996) and were grateful for the opportunities for youths in sports, cultural and educational activities.

“This is a good city to raise kids,” Ektnitphong said. “It was five minutes to get here, five minutes to get there, and I fell in love with that.”

Being home at night to make dinner for her family, especially with three hungry athletes to feed, was also critical.

“My mom was devoted to her family,” confirmed Troy Ektnitphong. “She always took care of us, and she always had home-cooked meals waiting when we returned from practices or other extra-curricular activities. “I took that for granted until I left home and realized, dang, now I have to cook my own food.”

Ektnitphong is proud that all three children are graduates of both Worthington High School and Gustavus Adolphus College — and they are thriving young adults.

Daughter Victoria additionally earned a master’s degree in microbiology and immunology and is a research associate at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas; Nicole is co-executive director of Training for Change in San Diego, Calif.; and Troy works in customer support/sales in the medical device field, currently based in Durham, N.C.

“We talk about what we did to deserve to have all three kids be like this,” said Ektnitphong. “We’re so thankful for them, and we tell young parents who ask us (how we did it) to stand together as parents — that’s very important — and encourage your kids to do what they want to do; don’t force them to do things.”

Here’s an example of that parenting style: Smitty, a longtime Worthington soccer coach at many levels, didn’t balk when Troy chose to play football instead of soccer.

“Now he’s said, ‘I should have played soccer for you, dad,’” laughed Ektnitphong, “but as long as they had good grades, they could enjoy the activities they wanted to do.”

Ektnitphong is following that principle herself.

Problems and pain from carpal tunnel syndrome and arthritis caused her to retire a few years ago, and since her children were all young adults living out of state, she sought new ways to stay busy.

She’s become a frequent presence at the Worthington Area YMCA, attending yoga classes, swimming and working out. And she is a frequent pickleball player and kayaker.

“I love to exercise, I like going on the lake, and sometimes Smitty says, ‘Take it easy; you want to do everything,’” she said.

Cooking is another passion. She’s created a Facebook page dedicated to that pastime: “Food from the Heart: Annie’s Asian Cooking.”

“It’s simple food — not restaurant-style, but just what I cook at home every day,” said Ektnitphong. “My dad was Vietnamese and Chinese, my mother was Laotian, and I love Vietnamese food. Spring rolls are one of my favorites because you can pack a lot of vegetables in there.

“Smitty thinks I put in too many vegetables sometimes and asks, ‘Were you born a rabbit?’” she continued. “But if I don’t eat fresh vegetables every day, I feel I’m missing something.”

Travel is another joy, and recently the Ektnitphongs purchased an RV with a goal of seeing places like Yellowstone National Park and Utah.

Daughter Nicole approves.

“I love that my mom will go for the things she’s passionate about — health and fitness, cooking, creating, sewing, music and travel,” Nicole said. “I admire the way she pursues what lights her up, and does it in a way that invites other people to join in.”

Whether on Lake Okabena, in the kitchen, at the Y or traveling, Ektnitphong is definitely anticipating the joy of future adventures.

“Worthington feels like home,” said Ektnitphong, “but we want to explore the world. We keep looking forward.”