Our Story
Thai cooking brings together the most diverse spices and aromas. Fiery and mild, salty and sweet, sour and bitter. True Thai cuisine will find a perfect harmony in this diversity. Not only in each dish, but throughout the entire meal.
With gracious Thai hospitality we welcome you to visit Buddha Ruksa and experience Thai cuisine as it was meant to be. Hot, sour, salty and sweet. Rich and diverse like the peoples and landscapes of Thailand. Join us.
Meet The Team
We have a great team here at Buddha Ruksa with members that have been here since the beginning. Meet some of the folks behind Buddha Ruksa.
Michael & Nui
Owners
When owners Michael and Nui moved to West Seattle in 2000 they saw few options for dining out. While the area was friendly and inviting, a new restaurant featuring the bright and exotic flavors of Thai cuisine was needed to add more diversity to the neighborhood. In their search for the perfect location of their restaurant, Nui happened to see a "For Rent" sign in the building where Buddha Ruksa still resides today. After many months of hard work, Buddha Ruksa opened its doors to excited diners on January 6th, 2003. Since then, loyal customers and newcomers have made Buddha Ruksa a West Seattle landmark as it sets the standard for Thai cuisine.
Like the flower of the restaurant's namesake, Buddha Ruksa continues to blossom and grow with its many innovative dishes and flavors of modern Thailand.
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I am a Thai person enamored with food from around the world. I love to sample various foods and to study and learn from my own experience.
The core of Thai cooking is not through secret recipes or ingredients, but instead, it is in adapting and integrating our culture to the modern time. The richness of the various dishes is passed down from the knowledge of our grandparents. This is the true charm of Thai cuisine.
I am happy for our new customers and will continue to seek Thai cuisine in its many different forms for you.
—Nui
Panithit Chummee
Chef De Cuisine
I was born in Lopburi, Thailand where I obtained my passion for cooking from my grandmother. To study business, I moved to Bangkok and eventually to Sydney, Australia to obtain my Master's degree in Business Administration. Cooking was always what I wanted to do and enrolled in culinary school at Le Cordon Bleu. To refine my skills as a chef, I worked at a 5-star restaurant in Sydney for a year.
Authentic Thai food was something that I wanted to share with people outside of Thailand so they could experience the food that I grew up with. I decided to return home to Thailand to work at two famous hotels in Bangkok: Dusit Thanee and Sofitel. My added expertise as a chef enabled me to once again move continents and work in Montreal, Canada as the Chef de Cuisine at a Thai restaurant there.
Working at Buddha Ruksa reminds me that we always come back to our home no matter how far we travel. Buddha Ruksa was created two decades ago by my uncle, Nui, who shares the same passion for cooking. Through my uncle's support, I was able to develop my European cooking skills at Le Cordon Bleu. It is with these skills and those I learned from my grandmother many years ago that I am able to bring you modern, unique and distinctive Thai cuisine.
—Tle
On-uma Radigan
General Manager
My name is On-uma and I am known by Ann here at Buddha Ruksa.
When I lived in Thailand, I studied Hotel Management because I wanted people to experience Thai hospitality, our friendly people and unique culture. Upon completion of my degree, I worked for 4 years at Four Seasons Bangkok.
Upon arrival in Seattle, Washington, I worked at various Thai restaurants in the city. At each restaurant, I learned to develop my skills in food preparation, cooking, and both customer service and satisfaction. These experiences gave me the skills needed to be a manager at Buddha Ruksa.
I have been at Buddha Ruksa for 18 years now because I believe in the quality and authenticity of the food that is served here. My goal is to ensure that your experience at Buddha Ruksa will leave you with great memories whether it be an intimate dinner for two, birthday celebration, or family gathering. As I continue to grow as a manager, I have also become a self-taught bartender as well. I hope I may even be able to craft one of our Thai inspired cocktails for you!
At Buddha Ruksa, we aim to provide high quality, authentic and modern Thai dishes for you. Please let me know if my staff or myself can assist you in making your experience at Buddha Ruksa a memorable one that will bring you back again and again.
—Ann
