The Rice Gai has a following, despite popping up just one day a week.

Greg Delgadillo, the guy behind The Rice Gai, has bounced around the California culinary scene for years, landing on his latest pop-up - serving plates of Khao Mun Gai and other Thai treats. For those of you who aren’t familiar, Khao Mun Gai is a traditional Thai dish of poached chicken and seasoned rice. It might not sound like much, or even look like much, but wait until you taste his incredible version of this dish. 

As Delgadillo explained, the style is in the sauce and the broth, and his style absolutely comes through in the flavors. From the juicy flavors cooked into the chicken and the garlicky rice to the semi-spicy chili sauce, your tastebuds will be blown away by this seemingly simple dish. 

How did a guy who has worked in some well-renowned restaurants around the state, and in almost every position, who has done brunch and taco pop-ups previously, wind up as The Rice Gai guy? That’s exactly what I asked. During a culinary educational trip to Thailand Delgadillo tasted his way through the country and found this staple dish found in restaurants and at street vendor stalls. Not only did he enjoy eating this dish, but he appreciated the fact that it is essentially a Thai comfort dish, enjoyed by all walks of life.

When thinking about his next venture, Delgadillo’s goal was to fill a void in the Monterey food scene. He wanted to contribute something that wasn’t present already, and wanted that something to be healthy, delicious, approachable, and attainable. He loves getting creative in the kitchen and feeding people dishes that bring them joy and nourish them. He decided The Rice Gai was just the thing to accomplish all of the above.

While Delgadillo does have extensive experience and education in the culinary world, he’ll be the first to tell you that being a businessman is not his field of expertise, so there has been a lot of learning along the way. Operations are currently taking place out of Live @ Heirloom Pizza in Salinas, where he and most of his staff work when not cranking out Thai deliciousness. Since Heirloom is closed on Tuesdays, that’s Rice Gai time and pop-up day. Considering the time and space restraints their operations are pretty impressive. 

The goal is to ramp things up, and considering the popularity they have come to establish, larger scale operations may just be necessary. The whole team is beyond honored and appreciative to be receiving so many orders and hearing such positive feedback. The goal has always been to feed and nourish the community, and they hope to continue doing just that. 

Keep an eye on their Instagram instagram.com/thericegai for future pop-up dates, new menu items, and updates on their operations.