Independent JournalismVolume Two

Ewing Journal

Evidence First. Story Always.

The Table · Food & HealthPeople, plates and public-health reporting
Chefs Richard Blais and Thitid Ton Tassanakajohn cooking together during a 2016 event in Bangkok U.S. Embassy Bangkok · CC BY 2.0

Chef of the Week · San Francisco

Three Chefs,
One Table

SAAM brings a modern Thai playbook to SoMa through a partnership that connects Bangkok experience with Bay Area restaurant leadership.

By Gregory L. Ewing

Archive image: Chef Ton at a 2016 Bangkok event. The photograph was not made at SAAM.

OpenedJuly 24, 2026
Where415 Brannan St., SoMa
FormatÀ la carte · family style
Reporting statusOpening feature · not a review

San Francisco’s newest high-profile Thai opening is not a one-chef import. SAAM is built around three people: Bangkok chef Thitid “Ton” Tassanakajohn and Bay Area chefs Tee Atthapon and Ty Choosuwan. The restaurant opened July 24 near Oracle Park, with a casual, shareable format that moves away from the long tasting-menu structure often attached to international chef expansions.

The partnership is the story

Tassanakajohn brings the broadest international profile. His Bangkok restaurant Le Du earned a Michelin star and reached No. 1 on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list in 2023. SAAM is his first restaurant in the United States. But contemporaneous reporting also makes the operating structure clear: Atthapon and Choosuwan are the local partners overseeing the San Francisco restaurant while Tassanakajohn remains based in Thailand.

That distinction matters. Celebrity-chef coverage can flatten a restaurant into one famous name. SAAM’s more interesting model is collaboration—one chef bringing global recognition, two chefs bringing local restaurant experience, and a menu designed for people to order across the table.

What travels—and what changes

The reported opening menu draws from Thai regional traditions, California produce and the partners’ restaurant experience. Hand-pounded curry pastes, herbs, chile, coconut milk and roti appear alongside dishes calibrated for a group rather than a procession of individual courses. The result is best understood as an opening proposition, not a final verdict: a restaurant’s identity is established over months of service, staffing and repeat visits.

Health & access

California WIC expanded the grocery list

California began rolling out its 2026 WIC food-package update in mid-April. The change expands choices, but it does not mean every participant receives every item; benefits vary by individual package.

Fresh herbsAdded as a fruit-and-vegetable benefit option.
Canned fishMore salmon, sardine and light-tuna choices.
Whole grainsCorn masa flour, cornmeal, bagels, English muffins and pita.
More swapsExpanded yogurt and food-swap options for different diets and cultures.

Participants should check their individual balance in the California WIC app or with a counselor. See the official shopping guide, or call California WIC at 1-800-852-5770, Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. This is public-health reporting, not medical advice.

Evidence first

Sources & verification

  1. SAAM official Resy listing — address, phone, format and dietary guidance; accessed Aug. 13, 2026.
  2. San Francisco Chronicle, July 6, 2026 — partnership and U.S. expansion reporting.
  3. San Francisco Chronicle, July 21, 2026 — opening date, service format and reported opening dishes.
  4. Michelin Guide chef profile — Le Du and Tassanakajohn background.
  5. Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, March 28, 2023 — Le Du’s 2023 No. 1 ranking.
  6. California Department of Public Health, April 2, 2026 — California WIC food-package update.
  7. USDA Food and Nutrition Service final rule — federal food-package framework.

Corrections standard: Menu and operational details are time-sensitive. If a restaurant or reader identifies a factual change, email editor@ewingjournal.org. The correction will be evaluated against a dated primary or attributable source.