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Lorna Bedford, owner of Native Plate (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
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Native Plate is located at 1203 E. Main St. (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
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Inside the restaurant (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
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Duck bao buns (Photo by Mike Guyer)
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Belle Isle Mermaid's Milk (Photo by Mike Guyer)
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Ahi tuna with black pepper ponzu (Photo by Mike Guyer)
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In the coming weeks, Native Plate will extend its hours and offer a late-night menu. (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
“Having my mom and her support and everything leading up to this — it makes sense, it clicks,” says Lorna Bedford, 26, just a day prior to opening her first restaurant.
The daughter of Sunisa Polishuk, the matriarch and seasoned restaurateur behind Mom’s Siam and Mom's Siam 2, was born into the industry, some of her greatest life lessons learned in the kitchen — both at home and at her family’s businesses.
On April 15, Bedford will follow in the footsteps of her mother when she debuts Native Plate, a street food-inspired restaurant with Thai, Vietnamese and other global influences, at 1203 E. Main St.
Although Bedford has dreamed of being a restaurateur, opening a business before she turns 30, and doing so in the midst of a pandemic, weren’t necessarily part of the original vision.
“I definitely had this moment of, ‘Is this something I want to do?’ " she says. "It’s tough working with family and being patient throughout the process, but sitting there now, it’s surreal to have this accomplishment, and getting through the hard days of the industry, it feels really good to be here.”
Born in Hong Kong and raised in Thailand, Bedford moved to Richmond with her family when she was 8 years old. With a Thai mother and English father, Bedford says she spent her early life moving, and it was those experiences that stuck with her.
“I’ve grown up learning from different cultures, and one of the most intimate ways to [share] cultures is through food,” Bedford says. “I just found myself looking back on my childhood; both my parents had culinary backgrounds, and I think those are the moments I cherish the most.”
Bedford has spent the last six years working at Mom’s Siam 2, her family’s other restaurant, located just a few blocks from Native Plate.
“Having that as a home base to kind of ground myself has really pushed me through and made this place come alive,” Bedford says. “I'm a romantic; I think that’s where it all came from, and learning the consistency and discipline [of the dining industry].”
A step inside the restaurant demands diners look up. Coral and light pink umbrellas dangle from the ceiling, and fresh greenery adorns the windows. After undergoing a summer of renovations, the space has shifted from the former Citizen to an airy, modern retreat with inviting date-night vibes.
The menu, crafted along with Executive Chef Alex Bailey, a Richmond native who returned after stints on the West Coast, is heavily street food-focused. Appetizers range from Vietnamese pok pok wings doused in a house-made gochujang sauce to mussels and pakora fritters. Entrees include kong fu chow — fried egg noodles, Cantonese white gravy, seafood, bok choy, carrots, Shanghai tip and onion — along with duck bao buns, dan dan noodles and barbecue bulgogi. Other offerings include sashimi, octopus salad, salmon wraps and lunch specials.
“Especially right now, travel is restricted, and I wanted to bring some of those cultures to Richmond from my background and childhood. You don’t have to travel to try something new,” Bedford says. "I want to spark that [interest] in people."
The beverage program is headed by Christian Mitchell, previously of The HofGarden and YaYa’s Cookbook, the latter another restaurant in which Bedford’s mother is a part owner. A standout drink is the Belle Isle Mermaid Milk, a colorful cocktail blending Belle Isle Moonshine, with coconut milk, matcha, and green tea boba — something Bedford says she’s never seen used locally in libations. The bar will also offer mezcal, Reservoir Distillery and Woodford Reserve flights.
In the coming weeks, Native Plate will launch brunch service as well.
“We want to do an almost Vietnamese soup, but with bloody mary noodles — so tomato-based broth, that’s spicy,” Bedford explains. Other brunch items will include crab meat omelets cooked Thai style in a wok and a savory congee, or rice porridge, packed with garlic, cilantro and ginger.
“It’s one of my fave dishes my mom used to make me,” Bedford says of the congee.
Bedford, who doesn’t sugarcoat the process of being a first-time restaurant owner, says she feels the pressure to succeed, but that she is trusting that her familial foundation and her restaurant genes will guide her.
“I’m a little bit intimidated, being young and doing this, but I’ve had to dig deep and be confident in myself. I would be naive to not accept this opportunity and follow my dreams,” she says. “It’s a new age of new businesses opening up, I wanted to get my foot in the door and show that. I want to bring out women-owned and minority-owned businesses."
Native Plate will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
