Stopped by the Kingfield Farmers Market Sunday, and discovered a new food stand – Gai Gai Thai, operated by Kris Petcharawises (shown right) with a crew of Southwest High students from the Fulton neighborhood. Gai Gai Thai bills itself as “Local and sustainable Bangkok-inspired eats, with extra beats from Hong Kong, Saigon, Lima, LA and New York.” Their version of som tum, the classic Thai papaya salad, is called thum thum, made with red cabbage, green beans, daikon and tomatoes, fish sauce and Thai chilies, and billed as a “playful homage to the Midwest.”

They are still in start-up mode, and when I visited, they only had a couple of items on offer: a flying tiger grilled beef taco with rice ($7), and grilled chicken wings (five for $6), but they plan to expand their menu in the weeks to come. Gai Gai Thai really is trying to be local and sustainable — they get their beef from Thousand Hills, their chicken from Kadejan, and some of their other ingredients from the Linden Hills Co-op, and they are waiting for the Hmong farmers to have some produce to sell.

You can find them from 8:30 to 1 at the Fulton Farmers Market on Saturdays from and the Kingfield Market on Sundays. And follow them on Facebook at Gai Gai Thai mobile kitchen.

Author: Jeremy Iggers

Jeremy Iggers is a journalist, university instructor and social entrepreneur with interests that include food, philosophy and global-local connections. Previously, he was a staff writer for the Minneapolis Star Tribune and publisher of the Twin Cities Daily Planet. He lives in south Minneapolis with his wife Carol and two cats.