Aranya Thai Kitchen
Address: 60 East 800 South
Telephone: 385-267-1127
Website: aranyathaikitchen.com
District: Central City
“We want the people who come in here to feel like family.” Todd Holsten grew up on the east side of Salt Lake City, spending much of his childhood in the mountains. Skiing, biking, climbing - if it was outdoors, he was in his element. After high school, he worked a string of odd jobs before finding his career home at Delta Air Lines in 1996. Nearly thirty years later, he is still there, now part of the aircraft movement team, enjoying the job’s stability and the flight benefits that have allowed him, his wife, and their family to travel the world. Together with his wife, Aranya, he now owns Aranya Thai Kitchen, a warmly inviting spot known for fresh, meticulously prepared Thai dishes that reflect her passion for getting everything just right.
In the early 2000s, Todd took a month off, starting in Beijing and slowly making his way south through Asia. When he reached Bangkok, he met Aranya who was twenty-six at the time and working in retail. She was initially uninterested and made that clear, but Todd was persistent. Their first date, at an Italian restaurant in the Siam area, happened only because each of their friends agreed to join them. When both friends canceled at the last minute, Aranya decided to go anyway. Dinner led to more time together, and soon Todd invited her to join him on a trip to Phuket during Thailand’s famous Songkran water festival.
Todd and Aranya’s relationship quickly became long-distance. Todd returned to Utah but was soon making trips back every couple of months - until September 11, 2001, when air travel shut down and visiting became impossible for several months. By early 2002, he proposed, and that April, they were married in Thailand with Aranya’s mother in attendance.
The transition was not easy. Aranya spoke English but was shy and self-conscious about her accent. After a couple of years, she began working at Thai Siam, followed by nearly a decade at Skewered Thai. Todd, who had always encouraged her to cook professionally after tasting her homemade dishes, kept nudging her toward opening her own place. In July 2023, she finally did - taking over a restaurant space in town and creating a menu entirely from scratch.
The restaurant’s menu is rooted in freshness and precision. Aranya shops daily at multiple markets - from Chinatown to specialty stores - sourcing only the best ingredients. “People offer to sell me things and deliver, but I want to pick everything myself,” she says. Even her popular mango sticky rice disappears from the menu in winter if she feels the mangoes are not perfect.
Aranya’s dedication is evident in every dish, from comforting Pad Thai to vibrant papaya salad, rich tom kha soup, and the waterfall steak that has become a house favorite. She is as committed to the dining room as she is to the kitchen, torn between tasting every dish before it leaves the pass and greeting customers to ensure they are happy. If a plate comes back barely touched, she cannot stop wondering what went wrong.
Todd is a constant presence - serving tables, making repairs, paying bills, and stepping in wherever needed. His parents even pitch in during busy times, and Aranya’s sister, who came from Thailand a year ago, now works in the kitchen. The restaurant has become a true family affair.
The couple did not set out to create a space that feels like home, but that is exactly what happened. “People seem to hang out longer than they planned,” Todd says. “They feel comfortable here, like they’re visiting friends.” Aranya nods. “I want everything to be as perfect as I can make it - the food, the service, how people feel when they’re here. That’s what matters most.” In conclusion, the two agreed, "If you are in the restaurant, you are the most important person to us. We want you to leave happy.”
