Chef Dream Kasestatad has spent over a decade firing up Thai cuisine cross-country in his mobile kitchen, Pranom Pop-Up—and to much acclaim. Since Kasestatad started slinging pad thai in a Los Angeles parking lot to make ends meet, he’s been a featured chef for music festivals like SXSW and Beale Street Festival, movie premieres and beyond.
On Saturday, Pranom Pop-Up stops at Servaes Brewing Company (10921 Johnson Dr., Shawnee) to bring authentic Thai fare to KC. Marking Kasestatad’s first time in the metro, he plans to prepare pad see ew, a stir-fried rice noodle dish with broccoli, eggs and choice of protein in a dark, umami-heavy sauce. A vegan option will also be available. “But I don’t know exactly what I’m making until I get to a city,” he says.
Though Kasestatad is part of a four generation-long lineage of Thai restaurateurs (the pop-up is named after his grandmother), he’s an actor and filmmaker by trade, initially moving from his hometown of Lubbock, Texas to Los Angeles for theater school. But as a result of the 2008 recession, he lost his production company job and started his catering business out of necessity. “I grew up in a restaurant,” he says. “That’s just the way of life.”
At nearly all hours of the day, he began delivering pad thai on his bike to radio stations, production offices and beyond. “I grew up in the ‘It’ high school in Hollywood, you have to keep up,” he says.
After taking note of many of the street vendors in LA, he eventually set up shop in a parking lot. It didn’t take long for word to spread. Lines around the block became a regular occurrence and he caught the eye of a prominent food editor. A write-up in LA Weekly soon followed, and then a catering request from Buzzfeed. “It just snowballed from there,” he says.
Now, Kasestatad brings his sought-after nomadic cookery to approximately 60 cities across the country each year. “I spend more time on the road than I do at home,” he says.
Traveling in his Kia Soul, the chef packs light with two burners, five woks, four pots and a propane tank. From there, he sources ingredients from the closest Asian market (this weekend, he plans to swing by Overland Park’s Pan-Asian Supermarket). For Kasestatad, it seems that spontaneity is part of the fun—and the appeal for many customers.
GO: Pranom Pop-Up. May 16. 12 pm—5 pm (or until sell-out). Servaes Brewing Company.
