For the five partners at Draughtsmen Aleworks, sometimes the best ideas happen over a beer. At least, that’s the case for the latest addition to their Goleta taproom, which introduced Santa Barbara’s first Thai food truck concept from Nui Pannak and Buck Thananaken in June called Zapp Thai.
A veteran of the restaurant industry, Pannak worked alongside partners Jerry Lee and Emre Balli to open Empty Bowl in Santa Barbara Public Market in 2014. Their success inspired her husband, Buck Thananaken, to open Wabi Sabi in a nearby stall, where he could show off the sushi skills he developed in years of working at Kai, Ichiban, and Arigato.
But neither have done a food truck before. Luckily, they have some experience eating on the street.
“We have something similar in Thailand with the cart, but it’s smaller,” says the Bangkok native. “Something that’s fascinating to me is that in Thailand the cart is so small, but their production is so big.”
Zapp Thai may have a slightly larger footprint than a street vendor in Thailand, but the flavors are just as robust as one may find on Khao San Road. That’s all due to Pannak. She brings a level of authenticity to her food that can’t be found anywhere else.
“I make the food that I eat at home,” she says. Sometimes that means not catering to softer American palates. And believe me when I say that the flavors she introduces will quickly transport you to the busy, humid streets of Thailand’s capital, which is exactly her goal. “If people have never been to Thailand, they should taste what Thai people eat. And if people have been there before, they should know this is Thai food.”
Her menu will continue to evolve, but everything on it is likely to give a little kick to your mouth.
There’s also an element of originality spun into familiar Thai dishes. Pannak spent weeks understanding the patrons who frequent the industrial taproom. “She understands we have a broad range of people coming in for lunch and dinner [and] she has a good idea of who the customer is and what people are looking for,” says Tami Snow, one of the partners at Draughtsmen.
That means you can expect to find lots of shareable, small-bite plates that pair well with a cold one. “It’s not really bar food…,” Pannak trails off. But it does have some familiar elements — like an e-sarn crying tiger taco that’s seasoned with Thai spices and topped with cilantro, or the crispy belly crunch and crunch rolls. But my recommendation would be to sit down with the drunken heat noodles (pad kee mao). Filled with an assortment of fresh vegetables, well-seasoned udon, and your choice of protein, it’s original while being comforting; layers upon layers of spices, both sweet and savory, will make you come back for more.
Authentic Thai street food from the Zapp Thai truck | Photo: Ingrid Bostrom 
Some of the offerings from the Zapp Thai truck. now permanently located at Draughtsmen Aleworks in Goleta. | Photo: Ingrid Bostrom 
Outside Draughtsmen Aleworks in Goleta | Photo: Ingrid Bostrom 
Zapp Thai truck is now permanently located at Draughtsmen Aleworks in Goleta. | Photo: Ingrid Bostrom
“We’re both hands-on [with] what we make,” says Snow. “Those are key values that bond us together and make a good relationship.” That relationship started more than a year ago, when talks of opening a restaurant on Santa Felicia Drive first began. Draughtsmen knew Empty Bowl as both customer and business, as the noodle bar started serving Draughtsmen from the time it opened. And Snow’s family are frequent visitors to Wabi Sabi. It’s that relationship that will help Zapp become a success. Because even a decade since the taproom opened, it still feels like a hidden gem.
“It was really funky,” says Snow about the space they found at the end of a cul-de-sac off Hollister Avenue. But the team persisted by targeting their community. Because like their customers who need a drink before, or after, a trip to nearby Costco, the partners at Draughtsmen all work, live, and play in Goleta. And eventually, the area developed around them. Now no longer the only place open during the day, Zapp Thai will fit along nicely with the coworking-space lunch crowd or happy-hour hangs.
“They care about their community the same way we care about their community,” says Snow.
Zapp Thai is open daily for lunch and dinner, 11:30 a.m. -2:30 p.m. and 4:30-8 p.m., at Draughtsmen Aleworks, 53 Santa Felicia Drive, Goleta. See draughtsmenaleworks.com/zapp.
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