SACRAMENTO REGION, CA (MPG) - Internationally-lauded jazz pianist and college professor Joe Gilman is playing a different tune. With his Thai-born wife Kai, the musician has opened a restaurant near Rosemont, Sacramento. The couple call their venture ‘Twin Lotus Thai.’

“In Asia the lotus flower is special,” explains Carmichael resident Gilman. “Two lotuses are even more so. It was also the name of the Thai hotel where my wife and I spent our honeymoon.”

La Sierra High graduate Gilman has worked 30 years in the American River College Music department; he holds a second teaching gig at CSU Sacramento. Career crescendos include winning the Great American Jazz Piano Competition and the Dave Brubeck Award. He has toured the world as a Kennedy Center soloist and composed an acclaimed piano concerto. In 1997, Gilman founded the non-profit Capital Jazz Project in Sacramento. “I’ve always had an entrepreneurial streak,” he says. “My wife and I often talked about starting a family business. As I approach retirement, now seems a good time.”

Kai is an experienced businesswoman whose Phuket clothing boutique was wiped out by the 2004 tsunami before she wed Gilman. The mom of two is passionate about her native cuisine. “I’m happy when I see people eating what I’ve cooked for them,” she says. “I love to share my country’s food.”

The couple took over a Folsom Boulevard location that was already an established Thai food destination. Its former name"'Patong Beach–hit a major chord. “Kai and I spent lots of time at Patong Beach in Phuket,” says Gilman. “The name seemed extra auspicious.”

With all omens in harmony"'and with support from college teachers, students, student families, musicians and Asian food lovers–chez Gilman debuted this month. Daughter Laila (15) designed logo and menu. Son Andrew (21) manages operations. A three-chef kitchen offers traditional dishes with vegetarian and vegan options. Tapioca fusion boba tea is a fashionable beverage. The professor/proprietor plans a beer and wine menu and hopes to stage occasional jazz performances. “As an artist, I feel music makes dining more enjoyable,” he considers. “As an entrepreneur, I’ll employ any element that makes our business special.”

For now, the maestro is not above bussing dishes. “I work all day at my two college jobs and show up here in time to mop floors,” he says. “I’ll do what’s needed. To put it musically, my day slides from focused solo to extended improvisation. It’s hard work but I feel invigorated.”

He and his bride met online. Their first in-person date was in Thailand, on Kai’s 30th birthday. “I loved him at once,” she recalls. “I’d prayed for a good man. Joe walked through the door and boom – I knew he was my man.” Five months later, they were married by Buddhist ceremony. The bride now speaks English; her husband’s Thai is close enough for jazz.

Part of marital adjustment was culinary. “Before, I’d eaten Thai food occasionally,” Gilman explains. “Now it’s part of my daily existence and I love it. It’s healthy; it’s creative. If I had to relate it to jazz, Thai food offers exquisite variations on regional and cultural themes.” Top Twin Lotus hit is his wife’s Pad Thai, a noodle and vegetable combo with tangy sauce. Green curry and a dish called drunken noodles are other menu favorites.

For newcomers, Thai spices can surprise. “Our menu offers a choice from between 0-4 on the heat level,” notes the proprietor. “I enjoy level 2. Level 4 would blow my top. For me, 4 is a fortissimo of epic proportion. But for Thai diners, it’s beautiful music.”

Twin Lotus Thai is located at 8345 #119 Folsom Boulevard, Sacramento. Opening hours are from 11 am till 8 pm; Tuesday to Sunday.