The Cooking Channel and Tyler Florence notwithstanding, this gourmet food truck trend is a nationwide phenomenon. Coast to coast, discerning diners on the go can enjoy upscale fare at reasonable prices. This is indeed, an idea whose time has come.
Time Magazine weighed in on the food truck trend, calling it the democratization of the local- and slow-food trends. Milwaukee’s Streetza was just named one of top food trucks in country by GQ. Now, the food truck has its own website: MobileCravings.com.
In cities where the legislators are a tad reluctant to approve trucks’ proliferation, like Chicago, the movement also has its own legislative advocate: Matt Maroni compiling data, analyzing and synthesizing it for the city council’s consumption and approval.
Chicago Reader confirms that top chefs (Achatz, Bayless) in Chicago have also recently petitioned the City Council for a food truck ordinance only to find that Maroni had pitched his own proposal complete with a 43-page comparative study of food-truck policies in six other cities. Maroni and his wife also supplied a model ordinance and a binder of supplementary articles, data, clippings. Ironically, Maroni’s "gaztro-wagon" is actually not a wagon at all, but immobile brick and mortar food stall. In that respect it's very different from others.
And speaking of top chefs, Ludo Lefebvre was the poster boy at the National Restaurant show promoting the mobile food scene with his Ludo Bites truck. From Airstreams to retro-fitted postal trucks, chefs are getting creative and hitting the road. Allons-y Ludo!
Kogi BBQ Leads the Trend
Cities that already have a vibrant mobile food truck scene include Los Angeles. With its ample freeways and consistent weather, perhaps it’s only natural that they should lead the way. The “grand daddy” of food trucks is undoubtedly, Kogi BBQ serving Korean Mexican tacos, day and night. Drop-out Roy Choi made $2 million in his first year - on $13 avg checks. (that’s over 150K customers, y'all!) bringing farm-raised, artisanal food to the masses.
Other cities getting in on the action: Austin, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Seattle, Portland, Baltimore, Miami and Boston.
- Grilled cheese (Los Angeles) - The Grilled Cheese Truck just beat Kogi as #1 last week.
- Frogs legs - French food on the go in SF called Spencer on the Go (Spencer is their son) escargot puffs, sweetbreads, frog legs.
- Skillet in Seattle is an airstream and serves grass fed beef and coriander braised duck - rejects the fast-food roach coach techniques of pre-cooked food.
- Schnitzel & Things, which MobileCravings.com, a nationwide directory of food trucks, recently crowned the #1 street food in New York City.
- Boston's Clover Food trucks in two locations (MIT and Dewey Square) offer local, seasonal and vegetarian treats like the top-selling chickpea fritter. Wash it down with a tarragon lemonade or rhubarb agua fresca.
At the recent annual conference of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, food truck culture was a heavily attended roving seminar. Portland, the host city, does indeed have one of the most vibrant food truck scenes. Bulgogi in the park can be a beautiful thing.
Jacqueline Church - Award-winning writer, speaker, teacher on topics at the intersection of gourmet and sustainable food issues.
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