Ashley and Nik Ramirez’s journey to their Buellton restaurant, Na Na Thai

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When it comes to ingredients like monosodium glutamate, Ashley and Nik Ramirez don’t let misconceptions prevent them from trying to provide the most authentic experience possible. 

Ashley said some of the dishes at Na Na Thai have MSG in them, and customers shouldn’t be scared. The Mayo Clinic and Michigan State University’s Center for Research on Ingredient Safety say research has proven no link between consuming MSG and experiencing adverse reactions.

The ingredient is used in some Thai dishes, especially street food, which Na Na specializes in. 

“We believe in the integrity of the dish,” Ashley said. “We don’t offer any substitutions. We think that it ruins the integrity of the dish.”

The restaurant pays homage to the time the couple spent in Bangkok, and its menu is a compilation of their favorite street foods—such as fried calamari with turmeric and sweet chili sauce (pla muk tod) or red curry with pork and salted egg over jasmine rice (geng daeng moo sap). The pair has owned and operated the Buellton restaurant alongside their partners, Daisy and Greg Ryan, for a couple of years now. Their journey to the Buellton spot took more than a decade and involved more than one stint in the Southeast Asian country.

Ashley and Nik first met in 2014, when they were working for Companion Hospitality Central Coast, the Ryans’ group that supports artisan restaurants in the Santa Ynez Valley.

After about four months of dating Ashley, Nik said he got a job offer in Bangkok. But he wasn’t ready to separate from her yet, so he asked her to come with him.

“We put our relationship through the pressure cooker,” Nik said. “We got tested, and it made us stronger.”

After a year in Thailand cooking for an “East meets West, French-Japanese” restaurant, Nik said he and Ashley spent a year in Japan trying to open a steak house that eventually fell through.

“We ended up coming back to Santa Barbara,” Nik said. “We were just getting settled when we got a call for me and Ashley to work for the same company.”

It was in Thailand, again, but this time things were different. Last time they moved to the country, the offer was just for Nik. Ashley had to find her own job. This time, the offer was for both of them—as a team.

Nik said they spent two years there and had two kids, who are now 6 and 7 years old. Again, they returned to the Central Coast, worked, and waited for an opportunity.

Ashley and Nik had so much fun working together during their second stint in Thailand, that they wanted to do it again. A few came offers came about and fell through, but then, the one they were waiting for landed in their laps.

Their old bosses, the Ryans, asked them to come back. Nik was a little hesitant, but Ashley leapt at the opportunity.

With kids at home and bills to pay, the Ramirezes needed money. Eventually, Greg offered to let them use one of his and Daisy’s restaurants for a pop-up shop. The only problem was, Nik and Ashley didn’t know what kind of food to make. Greg said they had to do Thai.

“We lived in Thailand for four years, but I wasn’t cooking Thai food,” Nik said. “What do I know about Thai food?”

He said the menu started out with five dishes—the only Thai food options he knew how to cook at the time.

The pop-up shop was a hit. Ashley and Nik ran it out of Bar Le Côte in Los Olivos every Tuesday night. They had lines around the corner and were selling out of food in two hours.

After 18 years as a chef, Nik said preparing Thai food revived his love for cooking.

He and Ashley ran the pop-up shop for just less than a year. In June 2023, they opened the brick-and-mortar Na Na Thai and haven’t looked back. 

“There’s plenty of dishes on our menu that aren’t spicy, but the dishes that are meant to be spicy, we don’t modify,” Ashley said. 

Maintaining the pair’s no substitutions rule wasn’t easy. Ashley said customers complained regularly about not being able to modify dishes throughout their first year in business.

“Once you realize how the meals are supposed to be served, the balance of the flavors hits so much better compared to places that are more tourist-driven,” Nik said. “You get these explosions of flavor that we thought were lacking from all the Thai cuisine in the states.”

Honoring traditional methods is a practice Nik and Ashley hold dear. They go out of their way to ensure they’re providing customers as authentic an experience as possible. 

“We are not Thai,” Ashley said. “We are trying to honor Thai traditions. Everything we make is done by hand from scratch.”

Ashley said Nik drives to Finley Farms every morning to ensure Na Na Thai is always serving fresh food. Their produce comes from Tutti Frutti Farms, and they use the Motley Crew and Niman ranches for their meat. For lard, she said they use Pork Palace; for seafood, Four Star and 805. The uni, or sea urchin, is supplied by Sea Stephanie Fish, Ashley said.

“With a lot of ethnic food, people automatically assume you’re using commodity ingredients, like chicken you would find in the grocery store,” Ashley said. “We’re not. We’re using the highest-quality heirloom chicken from Mary’s Organic.”

Approaching two years in business, Ashley estimated that a little more than half of Na Na Thai’s customers are locals and returning guests.

“I don’t always know if what we’re trying to do translates over to the guest, but people taste it,” Ashley said. “If you want an authentic Thai experience with elevated locally sourced ingredients, this is the place for you.”

Staff Writer Reece Coren is craving that spice at rcoren@santamariasun.com.

This article appears in May 15-25, 2025.