SEARSPORT—Supannee Saengwong, chef and owner of the newly opened Sakura Harbor restaurant in Searsport, takes immense pride in her culinary craft—and it shows. 

Take the Sakura Special maki roll, for example. The dish consists of salmon and yellowtail tuna and white tuna maki rolls. They are rolled in rice and seaweed, topped with four different types of Tabiko roe, and garnished with truffle. The plating is imaginative with house ume sauce and a spicy mayonnaise, finished with a dot of Sriracha and garnished with microgreens. 

The Thai restaurateur recently opened her restaurant in July, after she moved to the Midcoast from Auburn in May.

Saengwong grew up in Boston, where her parents worked in restaurant kitchens. They later owned their own Thai restaurant in Lewiston. Saengwong grew up around the restaurant business. Her aunt also owned and operated a restaurant at a bus station in Thailand. When she was young, she spent time with her aunt and learned cooking from her. 

"On the weekends, starting in middle school, I always went to the kitchen where my parents worked and tagged along," she said. "My reward in that kitchen was that I could eat anything."

Saengwong has worked every role in the restaurant business, from busing tables to dishwashing, to advancing her skills as a chef.

Her mother went to culinary school to learn her craft, and Saengwong followed in her path.

"The Asian fusion trend was just starting when I was in high school," she said. 

Her menu is delectably diverse, offering Pad Thai, Korean Beef Bolgogi, Japanese maki rolls and noodle bowls, Chinese Orange Chicken, and Vietnamese Noodle Salad. Additionally, she dabbles in flavors from other regions, offering Hawaiian Poke Bowls, a Latin American ceviche, and Maine-inspired shrimp tacos and Thai lobster bisque. 

"The most popular right now is the Korean Beef Bulgogi," she said.

That is thinly sliced beef lightly marinated with soy sauce, garlic, and onion, then pan-fried.

"The other dish people keep ordering is the Tuna Poke Bowl," she said. "You cannot really find that in this area. It is more available in cities like Portland." 

"Making food like this is my passion," she said. "It is chaos, but with my team working with me, this is what I love to do."

 In her rare downtime, she loves to spend time with family and travel.

"I love making non-traditional food, and traveling allows me to experiment," she added.

She also operates a food truck that she takes to Maine festivals and gatherings, such as the Union Fair this past week.

"We have the chicken teriyaki, the Drunken Noodle, and pad thai, simple things on the menu for that," she said. 

If that's not ambitious enough, Saengwong also offers breakfast and brunch on Saturdays and Sundays, including more worldly creative dishes such as Shakshuka, Huevos Rotos, and Korean Croffle. 

Sakura Harbor is located just over the Belfast town line at 357 West Main Street in Searsport. Its hours are 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.

Learn more and view the menu here.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com