New food truck brings taste of home to Sioux Falls for Thai transplant

Maneegan "Meg" Brauer cooks chicken satay in the Thai Dakota food truck June 1, 2022.
Maneegan "Meg" Brauer cooks chicken satay in the Thai Dakota food truck June 1, 2022.

A new food truck featuring authentic street-style Thai food is open in Sioux Falls.

Thai Dakota owner Meneegan "Meg" Brauer was born in Rayong, Thailand, and moved from city to city growing up, including Bangkok. In each city, she regularly ordered meals from street vendors, watching her food be made by the vendors for years and eventually learning to cook on her own.

After moving the United States in 2014, marrying her husband a year later and moving together to Sioux Falls in 2020, the 32-year-old wanted to introduce her neighbors to Thai cuisine and bring a taste of home to Sioux Falls.

"Since I've been in the U.S., I've seen a lot of food trucks and it makes me miss Thailand very much. Thailand has street food on every corner," Brauer said.

More: Plant-based restaurant opening storefront in downtown Sioux Falls

Orders of chicken satay, curry and Thai tea sit ready for Thai Dakota customers on June 1, 2022.
Orders of chicken satay, curry and Thai tea sit ready for Thai Dakota customers on June 1, 2022.

Pad Thai is a staple on the menu, as are Thai tea and matcha green iced tea. Her first week open, Brauer also served cashew chicken stir fry, Thai basil stir fry, chicken red curry and Thai spicy mozzarella sticks.

Her second week, she is serving chicken satay with peanut sauce and massaman curry. Each week, she plans to switch her secondary entrée option and curry. Customers can request certain dishes through the Thai Dakota Facebook page.

Brauer started the food truck business this summer as "something fun" to do. She is a third party seller on Amazon and owns an Airbnb in Sioux Falls as well.

But since opening, she's enjoyed using the food truck as a way to meet new people and find other Sioux Falls residents with Thai origins, connections or interests.

The Thai Dakota food truck sits outside Sammons Financial on June 1, 2022.
The Thai Dakota food truck sits outside Sammons Financial on June 1, 2022.

"Before, I felt very lonely. I thought there weren't that many Thai people here," Brauer said. "But now I've found a community in Sioux Falls."

Brauer doesn't want to eventually own a restaurant. She would just like to have a seasonal operation that doesn't require as much investment or capital that a storefront would require.

Thai Dakota will be at the ACE Hardware parking lot in Harrisburg each Thursday from 4-8 p.m.. On Fridays, she’ll be at the Dollar Fresh in Tea from 4-8 p.m..

She will add other locations throughout the summer, updating customers on her Facebook page.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Thai Dakota food truck opens in Sioux Falls summer 2022