What started as a friendship between Siri Martinet and Jacob Devaul has blossomed into a full-time food truck for the now business and culinary partners. Born out of a desire to have more freedom with their time and to share recipes from Siri’s upbringing in Laos, TukTuk Mobile Feast serves up Lao specialties with authentic ingredients. We caught up with Siri, Jacob, and Arie at their food truck in South Lake Union, one of the locations they park at throughout the week. Read about Siri’s experience as a business owner, find out her favorite dish, and check out their calendar. 

What is the hardest part of owning a business? 

The hardest part of owning our business right now is sourcing our ingredients, such as ga prao (holy basil) because they are highly perishable and not widely available.  It is the key ingredient in our best selling dish. 

What do you love to eat your own cafe? 

I crave our food when we are not working! I have pad ga prao everyday for breakfast before we open for our lunch service. 

What do you want people to know about Laotian culture or food? 

I want people to know that Lao food has depth. The flavors are well-rounded with spicy, salty, sour and sweet, and sometimes funky with shrimp paste and fermented fish sauce. 

What is the best part of owning your business? 

The best part about owning our own business, as small as it is, is the freedom—the freedom to change and rotate the menu to introduce specialty items from sai ua (spicy and herbaceous Lao sausage) to nem khao (crispy rice salad) to fresh nam tok (spicy beef salad), to name a few. 

To learn more about Tuk Tuk Mobile Feast and to view their menu and schedule visit: www.tuktukmobilefeast.com.