Thamrong “Keng” Dechawuth grew up in a small farming village in Thailand. Now he has his own farm, half a world away from there in Durand Township north of Bemidji. The Puposky Pearl mushroom farm is the latest in a series of ambitious business ventures for the 49-year-old.
He and his wife, Farah, bought the 23-acre farm that borders Lake Puposky two years ago with the idea of creating a mushroom operation. One day Keng was walking near the lake when he spotted a pearl oyster mushroom growing on a tree stump. That gave him the idea for naming his farm. Their pet Pomeranian also is named Pearl.
“My grandfather was a rice farmer,” Keng said, “so I know how hard it is to do farming. I don’t know if I’m going to make a lot of money with mushrooms, but at least I’m happy working on this farm.”
The five varieties of mushrooms he is growing are being used in recipes at Tara Bemidji, the Thai restaurant Keng opened six years ago in downtown Bemidji.
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