Puma Yu’s is more than just a business endeavor for Pete Amadhanirundr and Ally Smith, the couple behind the critically acclaimed Thai restaurant in Athens. Rather, it’s a milestone in their relationship, which blossomed within the Classic City’s hospitality industry.
Amadhanirundr and his family immigrated to Madison, Georgia, from Thailand when he was a kid. Growing up, his father worked as a chef at the Ritz-Carlton Reynolds at Lake Oconee. Smith grew up in Virginia but regularly visited Athens with her father, an alum of the University of Georgia (UGA).
Both Amadhanirundr and Smith eventually attended UGA, working in restaurants as students to help pay the bills. This included Grindhouse Killer Burgers, where the pair met and started dating. Amadhanirundr worked as a food runner, while Smith worked behind the bar.
But restaurants became more than just a way to make ends meet during college, with Amadhanirundr moving on to other Athens restaurants like Seabear Oyster Bar, where he began honing his skills as a chef. Smith also continued in restaurants, working as a bartender at Athens hot spots like The National and The Old Pal.
First came The Side Hustle
In 2016, less than a year into their relationship, the couple developed their first joint project together called The Side Hustle. They partnered with Kenny Nguyen (Pretty Boy), John Grubrek (Seabear), and Maddie Bilderback (Seabear). As a pop-up, The Side Hustle stood out for its cocktails and food.
“When I was working at Old Pal, there were people doing pop-ups there and we were like, ‘This looks easy.’ It wasn’t easy, but we were all really young,” Smith said. “We ended up doing [one] every two or three weeks all over town.”
The Side Hustle found regular homes at Little Kings Shuffle Club and The Old Pal. The uncertainty and high-stress nature of pop-ups taught Amadhanirundr and Smith how to manage the intensity and workload of owning a restaurant.
“I think the originality was the biggest thing. We never had a cohesive [identity]. We really kind of did everything,” Amadhanirundr said.
The COVID-19 pandemic would ultimately stop the forward momentum of The Side Hustle. After four years on the Athens pop-up scene, it ceased operations in 2020. For Amadhanirundr and Smith, however, they saw The Side Hustle going dark as a clear signal to focus on what would become their restaurant: Puma Yu’s.
Amadhanirundr said that The Side Hustle never served much Thai food or Thai-inspired cocktails. The only constant for the pop-up were the burger nights.
“You can’t really open a restaurant and just be like, what is it? You know what I mean? At the same time, I’m an immigrant,” he said of the future food menu at Puma Yu’s. “The first one [was] always going to be the Thai restaurant or, at least, Thai food that’s our way.”
Launching Puma Yu’s
Amadhanirundr and Smith spent the tail end of the pandemic traveling and gathering restaurant research in cities like Bangkok, Mexico City, and New Orleans, where they both secured temporary restaurant jobs. With financial help from a Kickstarter fundraiser, and an “extremely supportive community” in Athens, Puma Yu’s opened at the Southern Mill complex in the summer of 2022.
Amadhanirundr and Smith’s take on Thai cuisine highlights regional ingredients found throughout Georgia and the South, with a focus on seasonal availability. “We’re buying from our [farmer] friends who are growing really cool stuff,” Amadhanirundr said.
On the menu, this translates to dishes like green curry made with Chesapeake Bay catfish, shrimp, eggplant, and basil, or confit and fried chicken wings covered in shio (salt) Buffalo sauce served with house-made ranch.
The couple stocked the bar with compatible spirits, incorporating locally and regionally grown produce and herbs. This includes cocktails like the tequila-based Lose My Number made with local tomatoes, and nonalcoholic drinks like the First Blessing mixing black tea with toasted grains, lemon, mango, coconut, and pandan.
“There’s not a lot of Thai beverages, liquors, and wines coming out right now, especially to America. We started experimenting a lot with Japanese ingredients,” Amadhanirundr explained. “We use a lot of Mexican spirits just because the flavor profiles [correspond with our food].”
Sustainability is paramount at the bar. Smith said that maintaining a low-carbon footprint is one of her top priorities at Puma Yu’s, taking a less-is-more ingredient approach not only to drinks, but to food.
“A big focus of the bar is trying to use anything in the kitchen to tie in at the bar [without] buying anything extra. It’s a very culinary-focused bar,” Smith noted.
Expansion plans
The couple’s relationship has only gotten stronger since opening Puma Yu’s. In September 2024, Amadhanirundr and Smith married at St. Germain, the Michelin-starred New Orleans wine bar where Amadhanirundr worked right before he and Smith returned to Athens to open their restaurant.
It’s already been a momentous year for the couple, who welcomed their first child this summer. And in December, Amadhanirundr and Smith will open cafe and cocktail bar Hin in Five Points with Molly McClintock (Hana Makgeolli). Hin is already a special place for the couple. They learned Smith was pregnant right after signing the lease for the Five Points space.
The baby has already become acquainted with Puma Yu’s, which Amadhanirundr and Smith call their “little toddler.”
“We have our new baby, and now we’re about to have Hin, which is going to be like the third baby [in the family]. It’s going be fun and a new experience,” Amadhanirundr said.
Puma Yu’s, Southern Mill, 355 Oneta St., Athens. Open Monday through Thursday, 5 to 9:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, noon to 10:30 p.m. Reservations encouraged.
